 "Direct access of service providers' data to DoT for ease of doing biz: Trai")
The Department of Telecom should create a secured system to seamlessly access service providers' data like command logs and supply chain documents to simplify existing security conditions prescribed under current permits, sector regulator Trai recommended on Tuesday.
The telecom service providers are required to keep the records of all the operation and maintenance command logs for a period of 12 months, including the actual command given, who gave the command, when it was given with date and time and from where. The same set of information is further required to be stored for next 24 months in a non-online mode which becomes voluminous.
In its recommendation on "Ease of Doing Business in Telecom and Broadcasting Sector", the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) recommended that the DoT should review and simplify the existing security conditions prescribed in the telecom licence agreement regarding maintaining command logs and supply chain documents.
"Instead of seeking every bit of information from the service provider, DoT may examine to create static IP based secure access system to seamlessly access such data of the service providers. Government should assimilate the basic concept of enabling the ecosystem by accessing the relevant information, as and when expedient," Trai said.
Among various measures to enhance ease of doing business, Trai has recommended that the government should incorporate a website blocking process on a single window portal and the internet service providers only should receive the list of websites to be blocked from the portal in their secure login via an instant notification.
"The list of websites to be blocked should be communicated to the ISPs in their secure login via an instant notification. The provision for compliance submission by the ISPs should also be on the portal itself," Trai recommended.
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Most of the recommendations made by the Trai entails technological intervention for promoting ease of doing business in the sector.
The regulator has suggested that the process of surrender of licence, issuance of No Objection Certificate (NOC) and release of bank guarantees to the service providers should be made simple, online and time-bound.
To ease the audit burden of customers, Trai has recommended that the submission of the Customer Acquisition Forms (CAFs) by the TSPs to the DoT licensed service area should be made online.
"The portal should support a bulk uploading facility. Appropriate analytical and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools should be utilized for processing such CAFs," Trai recommended.
For speedy roll-out of telecom network, Trai has recommended that the requirement of additional Standing Advisory Committee on Radio Frequency Allocation (SACFA) clearance for the same mobile network site or tower location should be replaced with intimation only on the SaralSanchar portal.
The regulator has suggested that telecom operators should be allowed to reinstall/ deploy their wireless equipment to another circle or location after providing prior intimation to WPC (Wireless Planning Commission).
"There should not be any requirement of taking prior permission of WPC. Online portal should provide the facility to submit such prior intimation," Trai said.
To expedite approvals for satellite services, the regulator has recommended that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and DoT portals should be end-to-end integrated with the Department of Space (DOS) and fully functional for all services requiring a space segment.
"Stage-wise status of the application should be transparently visible to the applicant. Timelines for each stage should be clearly defined. A two-way query system should be incorporated. Within DOS, the processes at New Space India Ltd. (NSIL) should also be online to ensure transparency and time-bound processing," Trai recommended.
The regulator has suggested that DOS should publish a list of Indian satellites' details and the capacity availability and approved foreign satellites/ satellite systems, their orbital locations, transponders and frequency availability and their other technical and security parameters.
"...the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Satellite Network Clearance (IMC-SNC) should meet at least once in two months or on receiving upon any application, whichever is earlier, to expedite the in-principle approvals. The meeting should be held online," Trai recommended.
The regulator reiterated its earlier recommendation that the current practice of permitting hiring of foreign capacity for a limited period of 3 to 5 years should be removed and the service licencees should be permitted to hire the foreign satellite capacities for a longer period as per need.
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