TRAI

TRAI's 1600-number mandate to curb fraud may raise lenders' collection costs and push NBFCs and banks back towards field-based debt recovery

Regulator Trai is examining the pricing issue that telecom operators are facing for deploying network in and around Adani Group-backed Navi Mumbai International Airport, a top official said on Wednesday. Trai Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti said industry body COAI has approached it for intervention, and the regulator has sought more details around the price that telecom operators have paid in the past for setting up networks. "The letter that COAI has written has raised four issues. Three of those pertain to right-of-way. There is one issue regarding the pricing. We have asked for certain details from COAI regarding how they have entered into agreements in the past. We will study those, and then we will take further action," Lahoti said. He said that the Telecom Regulator Authority of India will not require any specific reference from the government, and it can suo-moto proceed on the matter based on reference received from the Cellular Operators Association of India. Right-of-way (RoW)

Trai's move to shift debt collection calls to the 1600 series aims to curb fraud, but lenders warn it could force greater reliance on physical recovery methods

Trai Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti said India should adopt a risk-based approach to AI regulation, with oversight limited to high-risk use cases while low-risk applications remain under self-regulation

COAI has asked the regulator to examine NMIAL's conduct on RoW denial and seek a cost-based pricing framework, including ceilings, for in-building telecom infrastructure at airports and similar public

Trai Chairperson Anil Kumar Lahoti on Monday pitched for resilient AI infrastructure and strong self-regulation to proactively mitigate risks and ensure that systems remain secure, accountable and adaptable to disruptions. Addressing a Nasscom pre-summit event for the upcoming AI Impact Summit, Lahoti said the design and rollout of AI infrastructure will decide if the technology's advantages stay limited to a few or get distributed broadly across regions and sectors. "...another important facet is maintaining resiliency within AI infrastructure, this involves establishing safeguards and frameworks that ensure AI systems remain capable of adapting to disruptions and are also reliable, secure and accountable while continuing to serve public and economic objectives...from a regulatory perspective, robust self-regulation is important in this sector as it will enable the industry to proactively address the risks of AI through voluntary commitments and self-certification," Lahoti ...

State-owned NHAI on Tuesday said it has sought urgent intervention from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Trai to improve mobile network connectivity on National Highways. NHAI in a statement said as part of a comprehensive assessment undertaken by the state-owned agency, 424 locations covering about 1,750 km across the National Highway network have been identified as critically affected due to non-availability of the mobile network connectivity. "Identifying critical mobile network connectivity issues across several stretches of National Highways, NHAI has sought the intervention of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to issue appropriate directions to Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) for addressing non-availability of the mobile network connectivity on several stretches of National Highways, particularly on greenfield and remote sections," it said. Emphasising public safety implications and the strategic ...

Telecom players have claimed that D2M broadcasting has direct implications for spectrum bands identified for existing and future 5G use

The telecom regulator Trai has imposed a penalty of Rs 150 crore on telecom operators for their failure to curb spam calls and messages, according to an official source. The Rs 150 crore penalty imposed for three years beginning 2020, however, has been challenged by telecom operators. "Financial disincentives of more than Rs 150 crore have been imposed on the telecom service providers for wrong closure of customer complaints and not taking action on telecom connections of spammers in accordance with regulations," the source said. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) imposes penalties on telecom operators who fail to comply with regulations that impose financial disincentives. The regulations provide for a financial disincentive of up to Rs 50 lakh per month per licensed Service Area for a telecom operator. "It is important to note that the financial disincentives are imposed on TSPs (telecom service providers) not because someone has sent through their network, but bec

In representations to the regulator, Bharti Airtel has noted that if included, the airwaves would enable telcos to use the spectrum more efficiently and may provide revenue to the exchequer

Trai has asked insurance-sector entities regulated by IRDAI to move service and transactional calls to 1600-series numbers by February 15, 2026, to curb spam and fraud

Trai and RBI will begin a pilot with telcos and 11 banks to let select users digitally view, modify or revoke legacy consents for promotional communications via SMS sent from the short code 127000

Govt to study the regulator's response before issuing final guidelines

Telecom regulator Trai on Monday rejected the Department of Telecom's view, suggesting a 5 per cent annual spectrum fee to be charged from satcom (satellite communications) players instead of 4 per cent, and let go of a Rs 500 fee per connection in urban areas. The Department of Telecom (DoT) sought some changes in the recommendation of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on satellite communications spectrum allocation methodology and charges for companies such as Elon Musk-led Starlink, Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat OneWeb, and Jio SES that are in fray to start their services in the country. The DoT had asked Trai to reconsider its recommendation to levy a 4 per cent annual spectrum charge, and instead consider the idea of levying a 5 per cent annual spectrum charge with a provision of 1 per cent discount if 5 per cent customers of the company enrolled in a year are from tough terrains in border and remote hilly area, and let go Rs 500 per customer charge if they meet th

Simply blocking phone numbers on mobile devices will not stop spam calls, and subscribers should instead report them through the Trai DND app, the telecom regulator said on Monday. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said it has disconnected and blacklisted more than 21 lakh mobile numbers and around one lakh entities involved in sending spam and fraudulent messages based on subscribers' complaints registered on the DND app. "The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has issued an advisory, urging citizens to report spam calls/SMS through the Trai DND app, highlighting that simply blocking numbers on personal devices does not stop spam at the source," the statement said. The regulator said that action taken by it based on complaints received on the app demonstrates that collective reporting by users plays a crucial role in curbing telecom misuse nationwide. "This large-scale action was made possible because citizens reported spam through the official Trai DND ap

Trai has ordered BFSI firms to move service and transaction calls to the 1600 series from 2026 to reduce spam, financial fraud, and rising digital-arrest scams

Trai said the direction has been issued "to enhance consumer trust, curbing spam, and preventing fraudulent activities perpetrated through voice calls"

The direction will enable more stringent scrubbing of content in messages, the regulator said, adding that access providers will get 60 days to comply

Reliance Jio had raised concerns over the need for clearer guidance on 5G network slicing

Contending that net neutrality globally is evolving alongside market and tech advancements, Reliance Jio has urged TRAI to have a "flexible approach" to recognise traffic management and technology-centric innovations that are now possible with network slicing in 5G. Jio has told the telecom regulator that it is receiving proposals to launch tariff products based on network slicing technology under 5G Standalone. "With the stabilising of our 5G SA services across country, we are receiving proposals to launch tariff products based on network slicing technology under 5G SA. The sample proposals are for products for a defined upload speed slice and low latency gaming slice etc," Jio told Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, on the issue of Net Neutrality (that is the principle that all internet traffic should be treated equally) . Globally, Net Neutrality is evolving with market and technology scenarios, Jio said citing stance of regulators in markets such as the US and the ...