The tussle between the global system for mobile communication (GSM) operators and the basic service providers over the inter-connect issue has worsened with the Bharti Televentures-owned Airtel terminating the interconnectivity with Tata Teleservices in the Andhra Pradesh circle four days ago.
Customers of both the operators in the state are now unable to talk to each other.
While TTSL terms Airtel's act as arbitrary, illegal and unjustified, the Bhartis say that it is the former's indecisiveness in reaching a re-negotiated agreement that made them to break the interconnectivity.
TTSL has a total subscriber base of 240,000, out of which there are about 92,000 subscribers for the limited mobility service.
Traffic between Airtel and TTSL is about 36,000 calls a day, of which one fourth belongs to limited mobility.
Hutchison Essar, too, disconnected the interconnectivity for a day but reconnected after receiving assurance from TTSL that they will be paid negotiated charges.
TTSL already has disputes in its other circles -- Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra -- with the GSM operators on the interconnectivity issue.
S Ramakrishnan, managing director of TTSL, said, "The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) guidelines say that in case of any dispute, instead of terminating the interconnectivity agreement, either both or one of the parties should approach the authority in the event of mutual agreement is not arrived at within 30 days. We will wait for another week's time for Airtel's response, after which we plan to approach Trai for a solution," he added.
"Under Section 27.5 of the Trai Act, it is mandatory for cellular service providers to provide interconnection to all eligible telecom service providers so that subscribers could have a free choice to make inter-circle or international long distance calls through a national long distance service provider," Ramakrishnan said.
On the background of the controversy, he said that the mobile operators have started demanding that they retain 60 paise (50 per cent) for every originating call and the basic operator should pay 50 per cent of their call charges for a terminating call on GSM operator's network.
In case of wireline service, the cellular operators were asking for 30 paise on originating calls, he said.
TTSL was earlier paying 8 per cent on originating calls and nothing on terminating calls.
In case of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, they get only five per cent on originating calls, irrespective of the service, i.e. whether it is a limited mobility or a fixed line and get nothing on terminating calls.
This again, is a violation of Trai guidelines which say that no service provider shall discriminate between service providers in the matter of levying charges for interconnection, he said.
"We offered them to pay 30 paise on originating calls and nothing on termination, till the issue is resolved, but they terminated interconnectivity arbitrarily," Ramakrishnan said.
"What we were arguing is, if both of us can not reach an agreement, the two parties should negotiate and if necessary involve Trai to resolve the issue, but meanwhile you inter connect," he said.
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