Operators fail to reply to Trai's review paper

Blaming the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) for the impasse, operators said that despite repeated demands, the regulator's failure to share details such as segment wise reporting of financials, traffic data and the amount of Access Deficit Charges (ADC) collected by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) "had made the paper meaningless".

According to T V Ramachandran, Director General, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), the body that represents all GSM players, only the availability of such information, would help operators provide "meaningful inputs" to the regulator's March 17 paper and help "arrive at an Access Deficit Charge (ADC) quantum that meets the social telecom objectives of the country, without over-burdening the existing users".

Ramachandran also hinted that cellular operators were examining the possibility of exercising the legal option to obtain the requisite data. "We are keeping our options open on this front," he said.

Details sought for by operators also include "financial data on deficit in fixed access business after accounting separation of BSNL accounts into licensed service categories", and also as to exactly how much ADC has been collected since the regime was first implemented in May, 2003.

When contacted, Trai officials said that "sharing and non-sharing of data was based on regulations issued by the Authority".

"The regulator cannot seek our views on further ADC revision without sharing with the various stakeholders of post-facto reviews of ADC and the exact quantum of ADC collected vis-a-vis the envisaged amount," said S C Khanna, secretary general, Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India (AUSPI), that body that represents CDMA and basic service providers.

"There are clear guidelines on what data can be made available. We are only adhering to the regulations regarding information sharing," a senior Trai official told Business Standard.

Trai officials however refused to comment on cellular operators threat to explore legal action for obtaining the needed information.