Telecom Regulator Authority Of India

Streaming giants Netflix, Amazon, and other industry bodies oppose Trai's proposal to regulate content delivery networks, warning it could affect investments and harm India's digital economy

The disagreement centres around whether satellite broadband spectrum should be auctioned or administratively allocated in India

The telecom regulator maintains that telcos are responsible for controlling unsolicited commercial communications under the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations

The government should enforce traceability and user privacy rules on WhatsApp, Telegram, Google Meet as well as other calling and messaging apps along with telecom operators as such platforms provide similar services using internet network, industry body COAI said. Telecom operators want the government and regulator to enforce message traceability and user privacy rule on these apps to curb spam and illegal activities as majority of messaging traffic has moved to data networks from SMS, COAI said. In a recent direction, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has mandated telecom operators to enhance message traceability. The regulator has mandated that the trail of all messages from senders to recipients must be traceable from November 1, 2024. Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and others, said that while the telecom service providers are working jointly with the Trai and the other stakeholders on th

Sector regulator TRAI on Tuesday directed telcos to disconnect all telecom resources of unregistered telemarketers found making spam calls, and to blacklist them for up to two years. Further, TRAI has asked telcos to comply immediately with its latest directive and submit regular updates on action taken in this regard on a fortnightly basis. Issuing its directive to telcos, TRAI said this "decisive action" is expected to significantly reduce spam calls and provide relief to consumers. TRAI in a release said it has issued "directives to access providers to disconnect all telecom resources of unregistered senders for making spam calls and to blacklist such senders under the Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulations, 2018" regulations. Towards this, TRAI has mandated all access service providers to stop voice promotional calls whether pre-recorded or computer generated or otherwise from all unregistered senders or telemarketers (UTMs) using bulk connections or .

The telcos have submitted details of the hike within the stipulated seven days

Telecom companies said the new rules will impose additional costs on them, and the benefits to consumers will be minimal

Trai has proposed enlarging the audience measurement system's sample size to better reflect India's diversity, and called for fostering competition among multiple rating agencies

Telecom operators are assessing the feasibility of CNAP, where both number and caller name will be displayed during incoming calls

Operators said such a moratorium is needed on spectrum bought in auctions from next year due to significant capital expenditure incurred in deploying 5G services

Currently, 5G service users encounter various challenges including poor call quality, call drops, inability to connect to 5G despite activating phone settings, and negligible disparity in speeds

The telcos already have ample spectrum with them. With little scope for 5G monetisation, telecom companies do not see the need to spend towards acquiring more spectrum

The original draft of the Bill contained a framework to waive the license fees for financially troubled companies. Had these provisions made it to the final bill, things would have been easier for VI

Spectrum allocation is holding up satellite broadband

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India will issue its recommendation on satellite spectrum allocation methodology and other pending matters after the appointment of a regular chairperson, an official source said. The position of Trai chairperson has been vacant since October 1 after the tenure of P D Vaghela ended in September. Trai member Meenakshi Gupta is handling the additional charge of chairperson of the regulatory body. "Trai chairperson will decide on the recommendation. We are almost ready with recommendations on satellite spectrum allocation but the final call will be taken by the chairperson," a senior Trai official said. The Department of Telecom had invited applications for the post in June and the last date for the same was in August. A DoT senior official, who did not wish to be identified, said that the process was completed in time and only a decision with regard to the appointment of a new chairperson is awaited from the higher authorities. The DoT has grante

According to Trai's new tariff order (NTO) regime, distributors can not break broadcaster bouquets and must offer them to customers without making any changes

One major issue that is expected to be covered in the consultation paper is the price parity between OTT video platforms and traditional platforms

According to the latest directives issued by Trai, telecom companies have until July 31 to develop and deploy a mechanism to acquire consent from customers

For Truecaller, India is its biggest market with 250 million users. It has 350 million users globally and earns its revenue from advertising, and subscription services

To ensure compliance, Trai suggested that the ministry may consider mandating a standard undertaking which would be required to be submitted by each service provider on an annual basis