Trai Views On Long-Distance Telephony Soon

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman M S Verma yesterday said the authority will send back recommendations on domestic long-distance policy to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in the next few days.

This will then be followed by its recommendations on cellular mobile services (CMS), which are expected to be sent around June and then the recommendations on basic services will be sent, Verma told reporters.

Verma, however, added the issue of calling party pays will not be a part of CMS recommendations and the subject will be taken up at a later date.

He also said Universal Service Obligation will come up for discussions in July.

 

The new TRAI chairman assured that the authority would take a `neutral and balanced' stand on issues relating to the telecom sector. "We would consult all concerned parties before taking a final view on any issue," Verma said.

Earlier, on a proposal by some participants requesting that TRAI should issue `tentative recommendations' and invite comments on them before giving a final verdict, Verma said it would take a view on the proposal and added that "there is a small dividing line _ the process is consultative and not participative".

Among other things, the industry suggested various percentages for deciding revenue share percentages.

While Cellular Operators Association Of India (COAI) suggested a uniform revenue share percentage across all circles, Probir Purkayastha of the Delhi Science Forum said the government should have 25 per cent revenue share for metro operators, 16 per cent for other circles and

a nominal percentage for C-circles if the government wanted to expand the telecom facility in these areas.

Former DoT secretary DK Sanghal also suggested that the government should fix a variable revenue share percentage.