We have an open mind on tariff order: Trai chairman R S Sharma

At Trai, our job is to regulate. Nothing is disturbing for us, we are only doing our job: R S Sharma

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) Chairman R S Sharma refused to get drawn into industry-linked issues in an interview with Megha Manchanda and Nivedita Mookerji. Sharma was in the news recently for then department of telecom secretary J S Deepak’s letter, asking him to restrict telcos’ promotional offers as those were adversely impacting the government’s revenues. He said he would respond to the government soon on the matter, and that he was focused on enabling ubiquitous connectivity rather than a telecom operator’s gain or loss. Edited excerpts:

Is it disturbing that just one telecom player, Reliance Jio, is dominating the telecom narrative?

At Trai, our job is to regulate. Nothing is disturbing for us, we are only doing our job.

DoT wrote to Trai regarding promotional offers by Reliance Jio and how they were affecting  the government’s revenues. Is there any merit in that?

Trai writing a letter to the telecom department and DoT writing to us is normal practice.  

The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal on Thursday directed Trai to re-examine the issues and revise its order in cases relating to promotional offers. What are your views?

I would not comment on a matter that is sub-judice. 

Trai recently came out with a consultation paper on tariff orders and sought industry views. Have you received the inputs? 

The industry had sought an extension. We will give them another two weeks. 

Is there a possibility of the tariff order being changed?

It would be futile for me to comment on it right now. The very fact that we are calling for industry views means we are ready for consultation. We have an open mind... on the tariff order.

Do you believe that there was a revenue loss to the government because of promotional offers in the industry? 

We will respond to the government soon. I will not go to the media for that. 

DoT secretary J S Deepak was shifted out of the ministry after he raised the issue of promotional offers, which he said was impacting revenues. Your comments?

I do not appraise the performance of a secretary or have a view on the posting of a bureaucrat.

Are you in a happy state as a regulator?

It’s not about being happy or sad. I’m doing my job as mandated by the Trai Act. My objective is to work for improving consumers’ access to ubiquitous connectivity. I’m not concerned if a telecom company gains or not.

Moving away from tariffs, call drop and unsolicited messages continue to be an issue. What is Trai doing on that front?

The regulator came out with a paper in October 2015, asking companies to compensate users for dropped calls. The regulation was upheld by the Delhi High Court but was later struck down by the Supreme Court. Thereafter, we have been continuing with our efforts to address the issue. We are examining the need to relook at the Quality of Service parameters for mobile operators. On the issue of pesky calls and messages, data that is available is anecdotal and we agree it is a big nuisance. We are working on an application that would enable people to easily complain about unsolicited calls and SMSes. 

What’s your view on consolidation in the sector with several deals in the making, including Bharti Airtel-Telenor and Idea-Vodafone?

I would refrain from commenting on M&As. Those are business decisions and we have no role to play, so long as there are no regulatory issues. 

DoT has sought Trai views on conducting spectrum auctions every year. Is it feasible to conduct auctions annually? Also, will you recommend a lower price for the 700-MHz spectrum?   

DoT has not written to us yet, so I cannot talk about a hypothetical question. 

Do you think the telecom sector here is promising for international investors?

Where else will they find one billion voice and data customers? Whether they invest or not is a business decision.

Many of the signature campaigns of the government, including Digital India and Ease of Doing Business, are dependent on good connectivity. Do you advice the government on such schemes?

Trai is working with the government on improving the quality of connectivity and broadband. We have given recommendations on the implementation of BharatNet through the PPP mode to the government. Digital cable TV as a vehicle for broadband connectivity is also on the radar. We have also proposed that there should be no termination charges for calls from fixed lines to mobile phones for better connectivity. Use of Wi-Fi hotspots and satellites are among the other recommendations for improved broadband connectivity. Community Wi-Fi hotspots could work like the Uber model, where aggregators can have a big play.  

What are the other priority areas for the regulator?

Trai has been around for 20 years now and during that course has passed several orders and floated consultation papers, of which some have become obsolete with the advancement in technology and telecom space. We have set up a joint committee with the industry to review obsolete orders and suggest the way forward.