Telecom consumer body seeks removal of interconnection usage charge on mobile calls
5 years, 5 months ago

Telecom consumer body seeks removal of interconnection usage charge on mobile calls

Firstpost  

A telecom consumers’ body has sought removal of 6 paise interconnection usage charge from 1 January next year as it deprives weaker sections of the society of new-age services and a better experience New Delhi: A telecom consumers’ body has sought removal of 6 paise interconnection usage charge from 1 January next year as it deprives weaker sections of the society of new-age services and a better experience. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had proposed to move from the current IUC regime to the BAK regime where no operator will charge for mobile call transmission, from 1 January, 2020. TRAI reduced IUC on mobile calls from 14 paise to 6 paise per minute from 1 October, 2017 onwards and it was set to become nil from 1 January, 2020. “TUG India is of the view that the government must go ahead with its schedule of 1 January, 2020 to implement the BAK method…as it fosters innovation and serves the interests of the consumers in the most effective manner,” Prakash said.

Consumer Telecom 1 January Tug Weaker Sections Bak Iuc Interconnection Usage Charge  telecom  iuc  removal  bak  sections  services  interconnection  regime  tug  consumer  usage  society  mobile  seeks  body  paise  weaker  calls  charge

History of this topic

TRAI introduces SMS and Call-Only plans to benefit 150 million users
Trending News
3 months, 1 week ago

TRAI introduces SMS and Call-Only plans to benefit 150 million users

India TV News  

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, commonly known as TRAI has introduced new regulations under the Telecom Consumers Protection Regulations, 2024. The new rule aims at making telecom services more consumer-friendly, the rules include key changes like call-and-SMS-only plans and longer validity for special vouchers. Call and SMS-only plans to benefit millions One of the most significant changes is the …

Telecom Bill 2023: India's move to replace 138-year-old law | 7 key things to know
1 year, 3 months ago

Telecom Bill 2023: India's move to replace 138-year-old law | 7 key things to know

India TV News  

During the winter session of Parliament, the Government introduced the Indian Telecom Bill, 2023, with the aim of replacing the outdated Telegraph Act that dates back 138 years. The bill, presented by Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, focuses on enhancing public safety and introduces new regulations, specifically addressing issues concerning telecom companies and satellite services. 7 Key Things …

TRAI releases draft Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Repealing Regulations, 2023
1 year, 11 months ago

TRAI releases draft Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Repealing Regulations, 2023

Live Mint  

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has released draft Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Repealing Regulations, 2023, inviting comments of stakeholders. The TRAI notified regulation on quality of service of dial-up and leased line internet access service, 2001 on 10th December 2001. The draft Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Repealing Regulations, 2022 regulation is available on TRAI website www.trai.gov.in and shall …

Draft Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022
2 years, 4 months ago

Draft Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022

The Hindu  

Published : Nov 03, 2022 10:25 IST The draft Indian Telecommunications Bill, 2022, which intends to consolidate laws on the provision, development, and expansion of telecommunication services, networks, infrastructure, and spectrum has passed one more stage—public scrutiny. The Bill does not reflect many of the concerns pertaining to surveillance, Internet shutdowns, and licensing and seems in many ways to be …

Centre mulls removal of TRAI-related provisions from telecom bill
2 years, 5 months ago

Centre mulls removal of TRAI-related provisions from telecom bill

The Hindu  

Following concerns over the possible dilution of powers of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India in the proposed telecom policy, the government is mulling the removal of provisions related to the regulator from the bill. The source added that one of the things that the government is now considering is removing almost all TRAI-related amendments proposed in the draft telecom …

TRAI's Concern Over Dilution Of Power Under Draft Telecom Bill Addressed: DoT
2 years, 5 months ago

TRAI's Concern Over Dilution Of Power Under Draft Telecom Bill Addressed: DoT

ABP News  

New Delhi, Oct 26 TRAI's apprehensions over potential dilution of powers under the draft telecom bill have been addressed, and the government may look at the option of taking up provisions related to strengthening of the regulatory body separately at a later stage, DoT sources said. Amid reports of TRAI's opposition to certain clauses of the draft telecom bill, that …

India’s Telecommunication Bill: A case for balance and elegance
2 years, 5 months ago

India’s Telecommunication Bill: A case for balance and elegance

Live Mint  

On 22 September 2022, the Department of Telecommunications published a draft Indian Telecommunication Bill, which proposes to replace laws dating back more than 140 years that have governed the country’s journey from a technological backwater to one of the World’s leading democratic digital economies. The broad “exclusive privilege" language also affects this long-standing position, and is a missed opportunity to …

India looking to regulate WhatsApp, Telegram, and other internet calling and messaging apps
2 years, 7 months ago

India looking to regulate WhatsApp, Telegram, and other internet calling and messaging apps

India Today  

The Department of Telecom has reached out to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India for its opinion on developing a framework to regulate internet calling and messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, and others. The Department has now sought a comprehensive reference from TRAI for internet telephony and over-the-top players.” Meanwhile, the telecom companies are also requesting the government to …

Jio to make all domestic voice calls free from January 1, 2021
4 years, 3 months ago

Jio to make all domestic voice calls free from January 1, 2021

India Today  

Telecom giant Reliance Jio will stop charging its customers for off-net or Jio to non-Jio calls from January 1, 2021, as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has abolished the interconnect usage charges charges. Jio noted that TRAI’s Bill and Keep regime is being implemented in the country from January 1, 2021, thereby ending IUC charges for all domestic voice …

Telcos to opt for EMI moratorium; tariff to remain stable: COAI
5 years ago

Telcos to opt for EMI moratorium; tariff to remain stable: COAI

India TV News  

Debt-ridden telecom operators are likely to opt for three-month moratorium to avoid cash crunch during the lockdown, industry body COAI said on Saturday. The telecom operators have spoken in favour of raising mobile call and internet rates at the earliest, however, they will keep the prices stable during the lockdown period, COAI DG Rajan S Mathews told PTI. "There is …

Big boost for Airtel, Voda as Trai suggests no change in IUC rate till December 2020
5 years, 3 months ago

Big boost for Airtel, Voda as Trai suggests no change in IUC rate till December 2020

India TV News  

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Tuesday deferred by one year the scrapping of the charge paid by mobile phone users for calls made to rival networks and initiated talks to prescribe minimum or floor price for call and data, effectively ending free call regime. On Tuesday, Trai announced that telecom operators will continue to pay 6 paise per …

Airtel & Vodafone Idea Oppose Ending of IUC Charges from 1 January
5 years, 4 months ago

Airtel & Vodafone Idea Oppose Ending of IUC Charges from 1 January

The Quint  

S.S. Sirohi, former Member, Telecom Commission, said that the sense of the house was to end the IUC charges as decided earlier from 1 January by the TRAI regulation paper of 2017. Sirohi said that there is no need to postpone the 1 January date and the issues that have been raised in the TRAI consultation paper like traffic asymmetry …

Delay in implementation of zero call connect charges can hurt service affordability: Reliance Jio
5 years, 4 months ago

Delay in implementation of zero call connect charges can hurt service affordability: Reliance Jio

Firstpost  

Jio says delay in implementation of IUC charges beyond January 2020 will hurt the affordability of telecom services. Reliance Jio on Friday said that delaying the implementation of zero call connect charges beyond January 2020 will hurt the affordability of telecom services in a sector where users have benefited from free voice calls. Nahata said that in case Trai does …

Delay in implementation of zero call connect charges to hurt service affordability: Jio
5 years, 4 months ago

Delay in implementation of zero call connect charges to hurt service affordability: Jio

The Hindu  

Reliance Jio on Friday said that delaying the implementation of zero call connect charges beyond January 2020 will hurt affordability of telecom services in a sector where users have benefited from free voice calls. Speaking at Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s open house on IUC issue, Mr. Nahata said Airtel had expanded 4G network and Vodafone Idea too is talking …

TRAI's review of IUC will harm subscribers and reward defaulters says Reliance Jio
5 years, 5 months ago

TRAI's review of IUC will harm subscribers and reward defaulters says Reliance Jio

Firstpost  

Jio has also pointed to gaps in the 4G accessibility data cited in the TRAI’s discussion paper. Terming TRAI’s review of call connect charges “retrograde”, Reliance Jio has said the regulator’s consultation paper is neither warranted nor sustainable and that retention of such charges will harm subscribers and punish efficient operators. Jio accused other private operators of not moving to …

Concept of interconnect usage charge is outdated: Jio
5 years, 5 months ago

Concept of interconnect usage charge is outdated: Jio

Live Mint  

Interconnect usage charge is an obsolete concept which relates to 2G networks, and telecom operators must invest in 4G networks given the rising digital connectivity, Mathew Oommen, President-Networks, Reliance Jio, said on Tuesday. Jio last week said it “had been compelled most reluctantly and unavoidably” to do this following the decision of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to review …

TRAI's insistence to reconsider interconnect charges is anti-consumer, anti-technology
5 years, 5 months ago

TRAI's insistence to reconsider interconnect charges is anti-consumer, anti-technology

Firstpost  

IUC was conceived as a fee to compensate all companies for having made investments in telecom networks. But the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, after promising for years, and promising several times over, to put an end to IUC, is now having a change of heart. Reliance Jio, the new entrant, chose the voice-over LTE technology which meant that its …

A year after Trai’s IUC cut, mobile connections get pricier for the poor
6 years, 5 months ago

A year after Trai’s IUC cut, mobile connections get pricier for the poor

Live Mint  

Bharti Airtel Ltd has decided to wean away subscribers who barely add anything to its kitty, according to a Mint report. Before the cut, even subscribers who barely paid telcos for their connections generated reasonable Arpu, just by the strength of IUCs received from other networks for their incoming calls. Assuming the extreme case of subscribers who only received incoming …

Telcos Need to Sort Out Issues to Fix Call Drop Malaise: DoT
7 years, 2 months ago

Telcos Need to Sort Out Issues to Fix Call Drop Malaise: DoT

The Quint  

The DoT has taken up the issue around rolling out of telecom infrastructure in states, she said, adding that “the industry has to get its act together. They have to earmark more investments into infrastructure.” TRAI’s new and stringent call drop rules came into force from 1 October 2017 and the quarter-ended December 2017 will see the first instance of …

TRAI to meet with telecom operators to formulate new regulations for international call termination charges
7 years, 5 months ago

TRAI to meet with telecom operators to formulate new regulations for international call termination charges

Firstpost  

TRAI will come out with a regulation on the international termination charges, currently pegged at 53 paise per minute, the official said. After fixing the contentious domestic mobile call termination rates, the telecom regulator is all set to meet the operators this month to review international termination charge, a senior TRAI official said. TRAI will come out with a separate …

Airtel, Vodafone cry foul over TRAI slashing call connect charges, Jio says consumers stand to benefit
7 years, 6 months ago

Airtel, Vodafone cry foul over TRAI slashing call connect charges, Jio says consumers stand to benefit

Firstpost  

Older telecom firms Bharti Airtel and Vodafone today cried foul over the regulator slashing call connect charges, saying it will worsen the financial health of telcos, a charge that newcomer Reliance Jio rubbished on grounds that customers must benefit from falling costs. Jio said that it is “appalling” that incumbent operators have made baseless allegations against the process for determination …

Reliance Jio says no benefit from drop in IUC, all benefits passed on to customer via free voice call
7 years, 6 months ago

Reliance Jio says no benefit from drop in IUC, all benefits passed on to customer via free voice call

Firstpost  

Jio said that it is “appalling” that incumbent operators have made baseless allegations against the process for determination of interconnection usage charges and regulator Trai. In a statement, a Jio spokesperson said: “There is no question of any advantage from the new IUC regulation to Jio as it has already passed on all the benefits to customers. “At a time …

IUC cut to benefit only new entrant, say Airtel, Vodafone
7 years, 6 months ago

IUC cut to benefit only new entrant, say Airtel, Vodafone

Live Mint  

New Delhi: Leading telecom operators Bharti Airtel and Vodafone have slammed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s decision to reduce call interconnection usage charges, saying the move will benefit only one operator and worsen the financial health of stressed industry. Airtel said, “The suggested IUC rate, which has been arrived at in a completely non-transparent fashion, benefits only one operator …

TRAI cutting IUC charges to 6 paise per min a win for Reliance Jio, but will mobile bills fall?
7 years, 6 months ago

TRAI cutting IUC charges to 6 paise per min a win for Reliance Jio, but will mobile bills fall?

India TV News  

Telecom regulator TRAI’s decision to cut call connect rates or the Interconnect Usage Charge by more than half effective October 1 is expected to benefit new entrant Reliance Jio. While the decision appears to be one that would benefit Reliance Jio, which had alleged that continuation of IUC beyond 2014 had resulted in older operators benefiting to the tune of …

If Trai abolishes IUC, regulatory risk for telcos will take a whole new meaning
7 years, 6 months ago

If Trai abolishes IUC, regulatory risk for telcos will take a whole new meaning

Live Mint  

Bharti Airtel Ltd and Idea Cellular Ltd’s shares have fallen around 7% from their highs in the past week. These reports have found fresh wings after the Delhi high court dismissed Vodafone India Ltd’s petition demanding that the regulator disclose its methodology for calculating IUC. Earlier reports had suggested Trai may cut IUC by half, which was expected to impact …

Delhi HC dismisses Vodafone plea seeking Trai cost model of interconnection charges
7 years, 6 months ago

Delhi HC dismisses Vodafone plea seeking Trai cost model of interconnection charges

Live Mint  

New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by Vodafone India Ltd against the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, that demanded the regulator hand over the cost model of interconnection usage charges. Basing its plea on grounds of transparency under the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, Vodafone argued that not sharing the cost model with …

Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao writes to telecom minister on interconnect charges: Full text
7 years, 7 months ago

Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao writes to telecom minister on interconnect charges: Full text

Firstpost  

Vodafone has sought a reduction in interest rate on deferred spectrum payment and also expressed concerns over risks associated with a possible cut in mobile termination charges British telecom major Vodafone has sought a reduction in interest rate on deferred spectrum payment and also expressed concerns over risks associated with a possible cut in mobile termination charges. “We hope the …

Will Trai end the IUC debate in India once and for all?
7 years, 8 months ago

Will Trai end the IUC debate in India once and for all?

Live Mint  

If it was left to a popular vote, interconnection usage charges could well be a thing of the past in India. As one researcher aptly puts it, “Regulation of termination charges is a Sisyphean task.With the consultancy fees available, there is no likelihood of economists running out of ideas or agreeing with each other.” One attraction of the bill-and-keep model …

Airtel’s Sunil Mittal: Why is Trai even considering bill and keep model?
7 years, 8 months ago

Airtel’s Sunil Mittal: Why is Trai even considering bill and keep model?

Live Mint  

New Delhi: Sunil Mittal, chairman of India’s largest telecom company Bharti Airtel Ltd, has written to Telecom regulatory Authority of India chairman R.S. Sharma saying he is “at a loss as to why Trai should be considering bill and keep model” and break away from the global well-established practice of interconnect usage charge. “The Trai not even debating this issue, …

Trai open house: MPs ask telecom regulator to do away with call connection charges to lower tariffs
7 years, 8 months ago

Trai open house: MPs ask telecom regulator to do away with call connection charges to lower tariffs

Firstpost  

At present, operators charge 14 paise for every incoming calls on their network which is paid by company from which the call originates. Congress leader Rashid Alvi questioned Trai issuing 14 paise mobile termination charges after its submission before the apex court that it should be 10 paise till 2014 and then made zero. Rajya Sabha MP Majeed Memon cited …

Call termination charge: Jio, RCom say cost reduction should benefit customers; others disagree
8 years, 5 months ago

Call termination charge: Jio, RCom say cost reduction should benefit customers; others disagree

Firstpost  

At present interconnection charges are paid by one telecom operator to another for connecting call made by its subscriber to dialled number. New Delhi: Sharp differences have emerged among telecom operators over call termination charges with Ambani brothers opposing the levy, while incumbents Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Vodafone maintained it is needed to encourage investments mainly in rural areas. …

Trai: How is India's telecom regulator faring in its commitment towards better quality of service?
8 years, 7 months ago

Trai: How is India's telecom regulator faring in its commitment towards better quality of service?

Firstpost  

Access to a high speed and dependable internet connection is a persistent demand from Indian citizens. This was one of the major roadblocks identified by Telecom service providers, and Trai’s consultation paper to regulate in building access to telecom service providers is a good step towards solving this problem. Stakeholders, including internet service providers, telecom service providers, associations of service …

Call drops situation to improve in coming months: Telecom Minister
8 years, 8 months ago

Call drops situation to improve in coming months: Telecom Minister

Firstpost  

There will be positive results in the next 3-4 months in addressing the problem of call drops, telecom minister Manoj Sinha told the Lok Sabha today, while expressing commitment to get rid of the “black spot.” There will be positive results in the next 3-4 months in addressing the problem of call drops, telecom minister Manoj Sinha told the Lok …

TRAI seeks more power
8 years, 10 months ago

TRAI seeks more power

The Hindu  

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has approached the government seeking powers to impose penalty in order to ensure quality of service from telecom operators. This follows the > Supreme Court quashing the TRAI’s regulation to impose penalty on operators for call drops, calling it ‘arbitrary’, the regulator on Wednesday. “As the Hon’ble Supreme Court in its judgement observed that …

Call drops: Telecom firms push Trai to defer compliance deadline
9 years ago

Call drops: Telecom firms push Trai to defer compliance deadline

Firstpost  

Telecom service providers have requested the sector regulator not to enforce its order on call drops compensation from Monday, as the matter will be heard by the apex court on March 10. In a joint letter to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Monday, the Cellular Operators’ Association of India and Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India …

TRAI will enforce the call drop regulation: Ravi Shankar Prasad
9 years, 1 month ago

TRAI will enforce the call drop regulation: Ravi Shankar Prasad

India TV News  

New Delhi: The regulator TRAI will enforce its order on call drops, which makes it mandatory for telcos to compensate customers for failed calls, as the Delhi High Court has upheld the decision, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Tuesday. I have not examined the judgement but the penalty incentive and disincentive regulations of Trai has been upheld by …

Delhi HC upholds TRAI regulations mandating operators to compensate users for Call drops [Read Judgment]
9 years, 1 month ago

Delhi HC upholds TRAI regulations mandating operators to compensate users for Call drops [Read Judgment]

Live Law  

A Division Bench of Delhi High Court on Monday upheld an order of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, mandating cellular operators to compensate subscribers for call drops from January 1, 2016.Dismissing a batch of petitions filed by Cellular Operators Association of India, and 21 telecom operators, the Bench, comprising Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath observed, “There. …

TRAI blames lack of investment in infrastructure for call drops
9 years, 2 months ago

TRAI blames lack of investment in infrastructure for call drops

The Hindu  

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Wednesday held the lack of investment by mobile service providers in the network infrastructure, including mobile towers, responsible for the problem of call drops. In an affidavit filed in the Delhi High Court in response to a writ petition challenging a new rule imposing a fine for each call drop on mobile operators, …

Vodafone moves Delhi HC challenging TRAI's telecommunication interconnect regulations
9 years, 4 months ago

Vodafone moves Delhi HC challenging TRAI's telecommunication interconnect regulations

Firstpost  

Vodafone said that TRAI itself has stated in its 2001 Regulations that the interconnection charges shall be fixed on cost basis to provide recompense to the operators for work done for termination of calls on their network. Telecom major Vodafone Mobile Service Ltd and its group of companies moved the Delhi High Court challenging TRAI’s Telecommunication Interconnect Usage Charges Regulations, …

Call compensation rules stay, TRAI to hear out telcos
9 years, 5 months ago

Call compensation rules stay, TRAI to hear out telcos

India TV News  

New Delhi: Telecom regulator TRAI has asked mobile service providers to ready their systems to compensate consumers for call drops from January 1. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had already held a meeting with telecom operators on implementation of call drop compensation rules and steps taken by them to improve quality of service. According to the guidelines, telecom operators …

TRAI Tells Telcos to Compensate Users for Call Drops
9 years, 6 months ago

TRAI Tells Telcos to Compensate Users for Call Drops

The Quint  

Plagued by the vexed problem of call drops, telecom regulator TRAI on Friday proposed that service providers should compensate mobile subscribers for call drops and poor quality of services. It appears that a consumer relief measure against call drops would be effective only if it reaches the affected consumers. —the TRAI paper The regulator proposed that any call which gets …

TRAI proposes up to 80% cut in mobile roaming rates | IndiaTV News
10 years, 1 month ago

TRAI proposes up to 80% cut in mobile roaming rates | IndiaTV News

India TV News  

New Delhi: Mobile subscribers can look forward to lower charges as telecom regulator TRAI has proposed a sharp cut of about 35 per cent for making calls and up to 80 per cent for sending messages while roaming. Under the latest draft amendment of Telecommunication Tariff Order, TRAI has proposed to cut down maximum charges that can be imposed on …

TRAI starts process for review of interconnect charges
10 years, 4 months ago

TRAI starts process for review of interconnect charges

The Hindu  

Sectoral regulator TRAI has initiated the process to review interconnect charges, which one telecom operator pays to other service providers for using their network to complete calls. At present, the mobile call termination charges for all local and national long-distance stood at 20 paisa per minute, which means a telecom company pays 20 paise per minute to other company on …

'Free' roaming may mean higher mobile tariffs
12 years, 6 months ago

'Free' roaming may mean higher mobile tariffs

Firstpost  

Free national roaming will not come from even after the New Telecom Policy 2012 is implemented. New Delhi: Not only will national roaming charges stay for some more time, tariffs may rise once these charges are abolished. The New Telecom Policy 2012 has proposed that all roaming charges be abolished but Telecom Secretary R Chandrashekhar said today that it will …

Roaming charges to be abolished, Cabinet approves new telecom policy
12 years, 10 months ago

Roaming charges to be abolished, Cabinet approves new telecom policy

India TV News  

New Delhi, May 31: The government today cleared National Telecom Policy 2012 that aims to abolish roaming charges thus allowing mobile phone subscribers to use same number across country without having to pay extra charges. “Target is one nation full mobile number portability and work towards one nation free roaming,” Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters after the Cabinet gave …

Mobile Tariffs May Fall, TRAI Suggests Zero Termination Charge
13 years, 5 months ago

Mobile Tariffs May Fall, TRAI Suggests Zero Termination Charge

India TV News  

New Delhi, Nov 1: In a development that would bring mobile telephone tariffs further down, telecom regulator Trai has suggested doing away with termination charges in a phased manner over the next three years. "It is felt that it will take another two years for asymmetries in traffic flows to converge to some form of equilibrium between new and old …

No pesky calls from Sept. 27
13 years, 6 months ago

No pesky calls from Sept. 27

The Hindu  

Finally, there is good news for mobile subscribers looking forward to getting relief from unwanted telemarketing calls and SMS. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has decided to implement new guidelines to check pesky calls and SMS from September 27. In a notification issued on Monday regarding the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2011, the TRAI said all relevant …

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