No need for urgent relief to Idea, Airtel over IUC: Trai to Bombay HC

Telecom regulator Trai on Friday said that there is no need for urgent relief to Idea and Bharti Airtel, claiming that the decision to slash IUC rate from 14 paise to 6 paise will not have immediate impact on companies. 

Airtel and Idea had challenged the Trai decision of slashing IUC rate in the Bombay High court. "There will be no immediate impact on companies due to IUC," Trai told the court.

Reliance Jio also hit back at telecom firms, saying "Airtel, Vodafone, Idea's plea is worst form of 'forum shopping'. They've recovered IUC costs."

The telecom regulator, which sent the industry into a tizzy with its decision to slash interconnection usage charges (IUC), had earlier justified the move by saying it "will result in direct benefit to customers". Contradicting this claim, industry experts said that, given the current scenario in the sector, there will be no such direct benefit to end users.

While Reliance Jio had welcomed the move, other operators slammed the decision, saying it will further dent the financial books of the incumbent players in the short run.