The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Chairman Pradip Baijal on Wednesday dismissed as "nothing exceptional" the protest by Reliance Infocomm against the regulator's recommendations to allow direct-to-home and VSAT operators to offer broadband services.

"This kind of protest is nothing exceptional," Baijal told PTI when asked about the reports quoting Reliance spokesperson alleging that Trai had played into the hands of DTH operators like Tatas in policy suggestions.

Reiterating Trai's commitment to promote competition in the larger interest of consumers, Baijal said: "During the course of regulation, interests of many industrial houses get affected and they protest against regulation.

"It had happened in the WLL issue when cellular company Bharti protested or Tatas' opposition in the case of international private leased circuits (to provide bandwidth)," he added.

A Reliance Infocomm spokesperson was today quoted in news reports as saying that the regulator had played into the hands of DTH operators and had recommended policies which were totally loaded in favour of DTH and VSAT operators.