Page 4 - Trai

TRAI new rules: Jio, Airtel, Vi, BSNL SIM to stop working after this period

TRAI allows users to keep their SIM activated for more than 90 days without recharge. However, users can extend for an additional 30 days with Rs 20 recharge

Trai proposes new regulatory framework for ground-based broadcasters

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday released its recommendations on "Regulatory framework for Ground-based Broadcasters (GBB)" to fully leverage technological advancements for the delivery of television channels to distributors. TRAI has recommended that the GBBs' scope should be to provide television channels to distribution platform operators (DPOs) using terrestrial communication medium, for onward re-transmission. "A ground-based broadcaster may use any terrestrial communication medium(s), for delivery of channels to the DPOs. There shall be no restriction on the use of terrestrial communication technologies/systems and the entity may use more than one such systems, as per its business decision," it said. The advancement of technology has made it feasible for broadcasters to provide their television channels to DPOs terrestrially also i.e. using terrestrial communication technologies like wireline or wireless, an official statement said. The terrestria

Telcos urge DoT to implement Trai's definition for international traffic

Last month, Trai recommended a clear definition for international traffic, classifying SMS messages originating or terminating on devices, servers, or apps outside India as international

Delhi HC sets aside CIC order asking Trai to demand service provider info

The Delhi High Court has set aside an order of the Central Information Commission directing the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to demand information from the phone service provider and give it to a customer under the RTI Act. Justice Sanjeev Narula said TRAI requesting information from telecom service providers (TSP) was confined to fulfilling its regulatory functions and did not extend to addressing individual grievances or accessing customer-specific information solely for dissemination under the RTI framework. The high court, in its order, said the CIC's observation requiring a customer to seek redressal before the consumer disputes redressal forum was misplaced and beyond its statutory mandate. "TRAI is not a service provider or a consumer under the Consumer Protection Act, and any grievance against TRAI's actions or inactions must be pursued before the TDSAT (Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal), as established under the TRAI Act. By making ...

Trai to tighten anti-spam norms; pilot to digitise past user consents

TRAI will start, this month, a pilot to onboard paper-based and past permissions given by customers for receiving commercial communications onto its digital distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform, a process that in the long-run would include scrubbing and verifying their current validity and offering opt-outs to those keen on it, Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti said, adding that tighter regulations on curbing spam as well as new consultation examining an authorisation framework for telemarketers can also be expected in coming weeks. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has also ruled out any rethink on its latest regulation that mandates service providers to offer separate special tariff vouchers (STV) for voice calls and SMS. Lahoti told PTI in an interview that while consumers can be encouraged to use data, they cannot be "compelled" to do so. TRAI's focus is to protect not only the interest of the industry, but also the interest of the consumer, who must have the option

Trai to come out with recommendation for satcom spectrum 'very soon'

Telecom regulator Trai will issue recommendations on rules for satellite spectrum allocation very soon, an official said on Monday. The government will evaluate recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and thereafter decide on allocating spectrum to satellite communication companies, which will pave the way for satellite-based broadband services in the country. In response to a question on the recommendation on satcom spectrum rules during an event on National Consumer Day, Trai Chairman A K Lahoti said it will be issued "very soon". Trai concluded an open-house discussion on the terms and conditions for the assigning spectrum for certain satellite-based commercial communication services in the second week of November. Telecom service providers like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel want spectrum for full mobility across the country should be allocated through auctions only. However, Elon Musk's Starlink and global peers like Amazon's Project Kuiper and othe

Govt to release guidelines on pesky calls next month: Consumer Affairs secy

The consumer affairs ministry will release guidelines next month to tackle unsolicited commercial communications or pesky calls, a senior government official said on Tuesday. Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said the department has prepared draft guidelines in consultation with stakeholders, which will be harmonized with upcoming regulations of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). "We are ready with the draft guidelines on pesky calls. We will harmonise it with their (Trai) norms and issue it next month," Khare told reporters on the sidelines of a National Consumer Day event. Trai Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti, who was also at the event, said the consumer affairs ministry is focusing on guidelines for business entities' roles, responsibilities and conduct, while the telecom regulator will separately introduce stricter norms in response to growing consumer complaints. The initiative stems from a joint committee of Indian regulators, led by Trai, which decided to strength

No satellite spectrum allocation on first-come, first-served basis: Scindia

Scindia said there is a scientific argument and then an economic argument linked to the spectrum allocation

No disruption on Day 1 of mandatory message traceability: Trai officials

90% of businesses accounting for the majority of commercial traffic have registered, telcos say

Banks compliant with Trai's new regulations on message traceability

According to senior public sector bank executives, all the mobile phone numbers are white-labelled for call centres, and compliances are in place as far as large commercial banks are concerned

Trai's new message norms: Your OTPs safe, but spam may have a hard time

Trai's new message traceability norms go live from Dec 11 and aim to protect users by ensuring OTPs and essential messages are delivered seamlessly, while tackling spam and fraudulent communication

Mandate on message traceability will not delay SMS delivery, says Trai

Telecom regulator TRAI on Thursday asserted that its mandate to telcos on message traceability as part of curbing spams would not lead to any delay in delivery of messages nor disrupt timely receipt of one-time passwords. Taking to X, TRAI dismissed as "factually incorrect" reports which suggested that OTP messages could get delayed from December 1. "This is factually incorrect. TRAI has mandated the Access Providers to ensure message traceability. It will not delay delivery of any message," Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) wrote on X. The clarification came after some media reports suggested that subscribers across telecom networks could face disruptions and delays in OTP-based transactions like banking services, and e-commerce, among others. TRAI has announced a number of initiatives to crackdown on spam calls and messages. To enhance message traceability, TRAI issued direction on August 20, 2024 mandating that the trail of all messages from senders/principal entities

Trai unlikely to extend November 30 deadline for message traceability norms

With 13,000 businesses already registering with telcos, TRAI believes no disruption would occur

Trai to finalise satcom spectrum allocation norm suggestions by Dec 15

Telecom sector regulator Trai is likely to finalise its recommendation on proposed rules related to spectrum allocation for satellite communications by December 15, an official said on Monday. The government will evaluate recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and thereafter decide on allocating spectrum to satellite communication companies, which will pave the way for satellite-based broadband services in the country. "Trai is working to submit a recommendation on satcom spectrum assignment by December 15. There were several points raised during the open house discussion, some of which were beyond the consultation paper. Those points also need to be looked upon," an official source said on condition of anonymity. Last week Trai concluded an open house discussion on the terms and conditions for the assignment of spectrum for certain satellite-based commercial communication services. Telecom service providers like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel want ...

Starlink disputes predatory pricing allegations at Trai open house

Starlink on Friday asserted that it maintains absolute transparency on pricing as Elon Musk-backed satellite internet service provider vehemently dismissed arguments aired by certain players about "predatory pricing of next-generation systems" in a high-voltage open house discussion conducted by TRAI. With battlelines between terrestrial players and satellite aspirants clearly drawn, TRAI's marathon open house discussion that stretched for several hours saw telcos Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel banding together and speaking in unison about the need for level-playing-field as India works out the norms for satcom spectrum. Jio, which has made a case for the auction of satellite spectrum, on Friday said it is "not afraid of competition" but that 'same services same rules' must apply. "We are working in a hyper-competitive market. We are not afraid of competition. It is the other way around. Actually, the entities who are wanting to be in this space via satellite, in the telecommunicati

Jyotiraditya Scindia says no to spectrum auction pitch from Ambani, Mittal

In a boost to Elon Musk's Starlink, Communications Minister Scindia has said the spectrum for satellite broadband will be allocated and not auctioned as sought by Indian billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Mittal. The satellite broadband spectrum will however be not given free and sector regulator Trai will fix a price for the resource, he told PTI in a text and video interview. "Every country has to follow the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which is the organisation that lays out the policy for spectrum in space or satellites, and the ITU has been very clear in terms of the spectrum being given out on an assignment basis. In addition, if you look across the world today, I cannot think of a single country that auctions spectrum for satellite," Scindia said. India is a member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency for digital technology. Musk's Starlink and global peers like Amazon's Project Kuiper back an administrative allocation. While ..

Telecom issue: NCLAT dismisses petitions, says IBC to prevail over Trai Act

Insolvency tribunal NCLAT has said that the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC) would prevail over the provision of the Telecom Service Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Act, as it dismissed two petitions filed by the sectoral regulator in the RCom matter. The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) dismissed the plea by the telecom regulator TRAI against the classification of the balances of the customers of RCom as operational debt by the resolution professional in the insolvency proceedings of the defunct service provider. NCLAT also dismissed the second petition filed by TRAI, where it sought direction to the resolution professional of RCom for payments of statutory dues amounting to Rs 85.10 lakh. "The submission of the appellant (TRAI) that Act being a special law, would prevail over the provisions of IBC cannot be accepted." "The Supreme Court has already held that Section 238 of the IBC has overriding effect over any other law. Hence, IBC shall prevail over the ..

Level playing field: Jio sends second legal opinion to Trai on satcom

Former SC judge says Trai should have sought stakeholder comments on satellite spectrum allocation

Updated regulation on curbing spam calls likely by Jan, says Trai chairman

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) expects to finalise by January, updated and tighter regulations on curbing spam calls and messages after holding extensive discussions on its recent consultation paper, Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti has said. Lahoti further said based on a recent reference from Telecom Department, TRAI will prepare and float a consultation paper on regulatory framework for telemarketers. The TRAI Chief said series of measures taken over the past months by the regulator to combat spam calls and malicious/fraudulent messages is leading to "significant and perceptible clean up of the system" but noted that "more needs to be done". "Our consultation paper was floated in August-end...we have already received comments and counter comments on it and now we will be analysing all the views and hold an open house discussions. It will take about three months for regulations to be finalised... so around January, we will come out with updated regulations on curbing .

Trai extends deadline for traceability mandate on OTPs to December 1

Trai has extended the deadline for implementing the traceability mandate on commercial messages to December 1, citing concerns from telecom operators over potential service disruptions