Operators oppose Trai proposal

Telecom operators have opposed sectoral regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (Trai) proposal to review the tariff policy, saying the current regime has appropriate regulatory measures to protect the interest of consumers. In response to Trai's paper on policy of forbearance in telecom tariff, both GSM and CDMA operators' bodies — COAI and AUSPI — on Monday contended under the current structure, mobile phone tariffs in the country are among the lowest in the world.

COAI said change in the policy would not serve any additional purpose since "under the present regime of forbearance, the tariffs have been continuously monitored and customer interest has been protected."