Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), has made it mandatory for all telecom operators to offer in each telecom circle at least one tariff plan each for both postpaid and prepaid subscriber with a uniform pulse rate of ‘one second’. To enforce this recommendation TRAI has made amendments in the Telecommunication Tariff Order, 1999. Now every user in any network can take up the per second billing plan.
TRAI has also put a restriction of the rates for Premium Rate Services currently levied by service providers which are substantially higher than the normal tariff applicable for a two-way communication due to the fact that the charges levied also include the price for content. Keeping in view the fact that calls and SMS made for participating in competition and voting hardly contain any content, TRAI has mandated that tariff for such calls and SMS shall not exceed four times of the applicable local call/ SMS charges. This should control all those operators who are charging simply very high SMS and call rates for participating in competition and voting. Now operators will not be able to charge the SMS and calls more than Rs 4.
What do you think about the TRAI’s new mandatory instruction for telecom operators?