Telecom Commission gives nod for network testing; caps trial to 180 days

The Telecom Commission also decided to ask the telecom regulator to prescribe a framework for testing of fixed-line services

The Telecom Commission on Friday approved the norms for telcos to conduct network testing before the commercial launch of mobile services but capped the test phase for such trials to 180 days.

The Telecom Commission -- which is the highest decision-making body of the Communications Ministry -- also decided to ask the telecom regulator to prescribe a framework for testing of fixed-line services.

"Now these decisions (TRAI's recommendations) were accepted and it was decided that...although TRAI had left extensions beyond 90 days to the DoT (Department of Telecom), the Telecom Commission felt there should be an absolute finality to it, so it should be capped at 180 days," Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan told reporters after the meeting of Telecom Commission.

The issue of dos and dont's for network testing had stirred up a storm in the industry after Reliance Jio amassed over 1.5 million users during its test phase that preceded the commercial launch of services in September 2016.

The established operators had, at that time, cried foul and charged the newcomer with offering full-fledged mobile connection loaded with freebies in the guise of a trial launch. The incumbent operators had also demanded that the rules of such trial service be clearly spelt out - and TRAI then proceeded to recommend norms that will govern such network testing. The TRAI recommendations were issued in December last year.

Noting that the extensions cannot be given in an "arbitrary" manner, Sundararajan said that the Telecom Department will have to "formulate clear guildelines for giving extension beyond 90 days".

The Commission also decided that Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) should give recommendations prescribing a framework for testing in case fixed lines too.

"So that reference will be going to TRAI immediately," she said.

In its recommendations, TRAI had proposed capping the number of test subscribers to five per cent of installed network capacity for a service area, also called a telecom circle.

For this, the "service provider will submit the detailed capacity calculations of the network to Department of Telecom and TRAI at least 15 days before commencing enrolment of test subscribers," TRAI had said.

TRAI had also said that number porting facility should not be extended to network in the test period, and that all licensing provisions related to security and privacy will have to be observed even during the period.