Sunil Mittal wants IUC regime to continue

Mittal writes to Trai against bill-and-keep pricing

Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Mittal has asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India not to follow the bill-and-keep method of pricing calls, as proposed by Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio and Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Communications.  

In a letter to Trai Chairman R S Sharma, Mittal said interconnect usage charges were a time-tested principle and the regulators of most countries ensured telecom operators were compensated for their investments. “Why should India be any different? Trai’s own regulations enshrine the principle of cost-based IUC in line with global practices,” Mittal said in the letter.    

He said even for data, telecom companies paid