TRAI refuses to remove call drop compensation clause from the rules

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has refused to remove the rule which forces telecom service providers to provide compensation to the customers for more than three call drops in a day. The representatives of telecom bodies had requested TRAI to remove the clause. The telecom industry and customers in India are suffering from high number call drops due to increased volume, shortage of spectrum and towers.

The regulatory authority informed all corporations that the call drop issue was already under the radar before the regulations were issued. TRAI said,” “Therefore, the request to withdraw the Telecom Consumers Protection (Ninth Amendment) Regulations, 2015 has not been agreed to by the authority.”  The Association of Unified Service Providers of India (AUSPI) and Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) had requested the TRAI for the amendment through a joint letter to R S Sharma, chairman, TRAI.  After rejection, these two bodies have forwarded a letter to telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and urged minister to withdraw the call drop regulations.

According to new regulations, the telecom companies have to pay customer Rs.1 per call drop from January 1 next year. Telecommunications companies have raised issues of implementation of the new rules. Along with that, the officials also warned that the mobile tariffs will increase if TRAI forces them to pay compensation on call drops. The data reveals that the businesses will have to pay Rs.150 crore each day in case half of the customers face call drop.