No international data services beyond credit limit: Trai

Will be activated only after depositing the required amount

Telecom regulator Trai on Tuesday recommended that data services of people travelling abroad should be stopped after reaching the credit limit and should be activated only after depositing the required amount.

In its recommendations on sale or rent of international calling and roaming cards in India, the regulator said for a postpaid connection, there shall be a credit limit which may be fixed as per the customer's requirement and customer be transparently informed of the same.

The international SIM vendor should inform the customer through SMS or other message upon reaching 70 per of the credit limit."If the credit limit is breached the services should be barred till such time the customer deposits the necessary amount with the operator," Trai said.

 

The government has authorised 38 companies to sell international roaming SIMs.

It received several complaints from consumers on being over-billed by companies selling these SIMs.It observed lack of transparency on billing charges specially exorbitant charges on mobile internet activated without their permission.

"A close scrutiny of the complaints reveal that majority of complaints are related to hefty charges levied on customers for accessing data services in the foreign land. In all such cases, customers had refuted the claims made by the operator and denied having accessed the data services," Trai said.

It also recommended that international SIM sellers should be made answerable to Trai. "Billing and consumer redressal mechanism of the NOC holder should be strengthened to enable time bound resolution of billing grievance by the operator within a period of 30 days," Trai said.

At present, the international sim vendors are required to only take 'no objection certificate' (NOC) from the Department of Telecom to operate.