Page 2 - Telecom Regulator

Reliance Jio takes contrarian call on 5G services, not to raise tariff

Not to raise tariff; focus not only on mobility but also on connecting India's over 330 million households with broadband based on 5G last-mile connectivity

Trai directs annual audit for telcos, asks to refund overcharged tariff

The audit has to be conducted by a panel of auditors notified by Trai. Non-compliance or failure to submit the report can result in monetary penalties that can go up to Rs 50 lakh

Trai and C-DoT sign MoU for cooperation in telecommunications sector

The MoU has brought the two parties, Trai CSR and C-DoT together to reach the common goal of establishing a mechanism of technical and institutional cooperation in the field of telecommunications

TRAI releases draft telecom consumers education amendments for comments

Telecom regulator TRAI on Monday circulated the draft telecom consumers education and protection fund amendment regulation, for stakeholder comments. The amendments have been proposed in specific portions of the rules after a need was felt since certain activities like preparation and audit of accounts, require expenses to be incurred from Telecom Consumer Education and Protection Fund (TCEPF) and provisions are required, accordingly. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had notified TCEPF regulations on June 15, 2007. According to the regulations, a fund called 'Telecom Consumers Education and Protection Fund' was created. The income generated by the fund is used for undertaking activities including consumer outreach programmes, workshops, developing educational and awareness material for dissemination of information to consumers. "The authority has observed that for preparation, maintenance and audit of accounts and for the participation of representatives of consumer

Independent body, risk-based framework: TRAI suggests regulations for AI

India should play a leading role in shaping global AI standards and governance structures, said Trai

Telecom Secy K Rajaraman named IFSCA Chairman, may take charge immediately

A 1989 batch IAS officer, Rajaraman has been appointed for three years; succeeds first ever IFSCA Chairperson Injeti Srinivas who led the authority since July 9, 2020

Telcos to share data with each other to curb the menace of pesky messages

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

No closing dates for PLI scheme, govt makes it easier to avail benefits

Apart from the semiconductor production-linked incentive scheme, the govt is also planning incentive schemes for computers and devices, telecom, automotive, and IT hardware

Scammers target WhatsApp users with phishing calls from foreign shores

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has cracked down severely on intrusive calls and messages over the past few months

Trai recommends IB ministry to grant infra status to telcos, broadcasters

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

Trai wants telcos to use AI-based spam filters for pesky calls, messages

Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, BSNL, and Vodafone Idea have already agreed to implement this new system in compliance with the latest rules

Trai invites views on process to allocate spectrum for satellite services

Telecom regulator Trai has invited public views on the process and other norms that should be followed to allocate spectrum for satellite communication services, an official statement said on Thursday. The consultation paper "Assignment of spectrum for Space-based Communication Services" follows reference made to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India by the Department of Telecom (DoT) seeking the regulator's recommendation on the contentious issue of spectrum allocation to satellite companies through auction. "In the present consultation paper, Trai has considered all the spectrum bands relevant for space-based communication services as indicated by DoT... In this consultation paper, specific issues have been raised for consideration of stakeholders. "Written comments on the issues raised in the consultation paper are invited from the stakeholders by May 4, 2023 and counter comments by May 18, 2023," Trai said. Satellite companies have unanimously opposed allocation of spectrum

Trai plans to repeal regulation on dial-up, leased line internet service

Telecom regulator TRAI on Monday issued a draft to repeal the regulation on quality of service of dial-up and leased line internet access service. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said that there are no dial-up subscribers now and high-speed broadband services are being provided through optical fibres, wireless technologies such as 4G. "Authority decided to repeal the Regulation on quality of service of dial-up and leased line internet access service, 2001 (4 of 2001) with effect from the date of its notification in the Official Gazette," the draft said. TRAI has sought comments on the draft by April 17. The regulation on quality of service of dial-up and leased line internet access service, 2001, was notified with the primary aim of specifying the quality of service benchmarks to be achieved by the service providers, ensure customer satisfaction with the network performance and to protect the interests of subscribers of the internet service. Under these regulation

India second among 21 countries in H1 2022 Arpu rise, shows data

Also ranked 6th among 26 countries in data usage growth over same period

BSNL has worst call drop rate in 14 of 18 surveyed cities, shows Trai data

Vodafone Idea had the highest data download rates, across both 3G and 4G networks in the most number of cities

Draft Telecom Bill enhances unease of doing biz amid regulatory overlaps

Regulatory overlaps between multiple ministries and overreach by DoT worry stakeholders

Draft Telecom Bill: What does it say, why there is controversy over it

The bill provides a regulatory framework for spelling out the govt's role in telecommunication services and networks; telecommunication equipment and infrastructure; and spectrum and its assignment

Reliance Jio adds 2.94 mn subscribers, Bharti Airtel 0.5 mn: Trai

Overall, the country added 0.7 million new telecom subscribers in July, lower than the 2.22 million new subscribers in June

DoT and TRAI to start consultation on regulating OTT communication apps

The telecom operators will welcome the move as they have long demanded that OTT communication apps that provide the same services as operators should be subjected to similar regulations

Expect telcos to buy spectrum worth Rs 1 trn-Rs 1.1 trn in 5G auction: Icra

The auction of over 72 GHz of the spectrum is set to commence on July 26, 2022