News for 'TRAI'

Trai Launches Digital Consent Pilot

Trai Launches Digital Consent Pilot

Rediff.com11 Dec 2025

A national rollout will take place after the pilot test in which SBI, PNB, Axis Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Canara Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, IndusInd Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Indian Overseas Bank and Punjab & Sind Bank are participating.

How trai plans to accelerate 4G and 5G rollouts

How trai plans to accelerate 4G and 5G rollouts

Rediff.com11 Dec 2025

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said on Wednesday that instead of calculating charges for backhaul spectrum on a weighted-average formula based on the number of carriers a telco may have, a flat low rate should be applied.

EPL: City close gap on Arsenal with vital home win

EPL: City close gap on Arsenal with vital home win

Rediff.com25 Jan 2026

Goals from Omar Marmoush and Antoine Semenyo powered Manchester City to a muchneeded 20 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, lifting Pep Guardiola's men provisionally to within four points of leaders Arsenal in the Premier League title race.

City stalled, Liverpool blunt as New Year turns goal-shy

City stalled, Liverpool blunt as New Year turns goal-shy

Rediff.com2 Jan 2026

Second-placed City would have reduced Arsenal's advantage to two points but instead were frustrated as their winning streak in all competitions was halted at eight.

Will 1600 Number Stop Scam Calls?

Will 1600 Number Stop Scam Calls?

Rediff.com20 Nov 2025

Trai has ordered BFSI firms to move service and transaction calls to the 1600 series from 2026 to reduce spam, financial fraud, and rising digital arrest scams.

Maha police busts India's biggest 'digital arrest' scam, 7 arrested

Maha police busts India's biggest 'digital arrest' scam, 7 arrested

Rediff.com17 Oct 2025

Mumbai police have arrested six individuals from Gujarat, dismantling an interstate cyber fraud gang involved in digital arrest scams, including one where a businessman was defrauded of Rs 58 crore.

How Trai Plans To Scuttle Scams

How Trai Plans To Scuttle Scams

Rediff.com15 Jun 2024

Numbers could be classified further into (140) marketing and (160 or 161) for service calls to easily identify the purpose of the call in the future.

Trai diktat on mobile number porting

Trai diktat on mobile number porting

Rediff.com28 Jun 2024

There will be a seven-day waiting period after the SIM swap or replacement for a mobile number to become eligible for porting, telecom regulator Trai said on Friday. The step has been taken to curb fraud taking place by using mobile phone numbers. "The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), on 14th March 2024, issued the Telecommunication Mobile Number Portability (Ninth Amendment) Regulations, 2024, which will come into force on July 1, 2024," the regulator said.

Elon Musk's Starlink gets satcom nod for India

Elon Musk's Starlink gets satcom nod for India

Rediff.com6 Jun 2025

Elon Musk's Starlink has got licence for satcom services in India, according to sources.

Rogue robocallers behind Trai's bid to dial up rules against spam

Rogue robocallers behind Trai's bid to dial up rules against spam

Rediff.com5 Sep 2024

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (Trai's) latest push to review its existing spam regulations and expand the definition of "commercial communications" is driven by an urgent need to tighten controls on autodialers or robocallers, and bulk messaging, according to official sources. This move, they said, comes in response to a surge in complaints against unregistered telemarketers (UTMs), which soared to 750,000 in just the first half of 2024, underscoring the necessity for a comprehensive overhaul of the government's anti-spam measures. Last week, Trai released a consultation paper aimed at revisiting the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018 (TCCCPR-2018), the government's legal framework against spam.

Airtel keen to tie up with Jio, VIL to fight fraud

Airtel keen to tie up with Jio, VIL to fight fraud

Rediff.com25 May 2025

Airtel has informed the government and regulator Trai that it has approached Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea with a proposal for a joint initiative to unite the industry against rising telecom fraud and scams.

Just 3,000 nods: Trai's whitelisting deadline may be pushed by 30 days

Just 3,000 nods: Trai's whitelisting deadline may be pushed by 30 days

Rediff.com27 Sep 2024

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) may extend the deadline to whitelist URLs (Uniform Resource Locators), APKs (Android Package Kit), or OTT (Over The Top) links - through which it intends to curb their misuse -is likely to be extended by 30 days as only over 3,000 registered senders (businesses) have complied, officials indicated. According to Trai officials, over 3,000 registered senders have whitelisted more than 70,000 links, but many more (thousands of others) are yet to comply with the directive as the mandatory norms are set to come into effect from October 1.

Elon Musk's Starlink gets nod to offer satellite internet in India

Elon Musk's Starlink gets nod to offer satellite internet in India

Rediff.com9 Jul 2025

India's space regulator INSPACe has granted a license to Starlink to offer space-based internet services in the country. The authorization is valid for five years and subject to regulatory provisions and clearances.

'My Job Is To Be A Facilitator'

'My Job Is To Be A Facilitator'

Rediff.com23 Jun 2025

'My job is to provide people with a bouquet of options they can choose from.'

Vi partners SpaceX-rival AST SpaceMobile for satcom service on smartphones

Vi partners SpaceX-rival AST SpaceMobile for satcom service on smartphones

Rediff.com18 Jun 2025

Vi partners SpaceX-rival AST SpaceMobile for satcom service on smartphones

Would you buy Starlink plans at 3K-4.2K/month?

Would you buy Starlink plans at 3K-4.2K/month?

Rediff.com10 Jun 2025

The company had announced similar pricing for Sri Lanka, where its application was in advanced stages of regulatory clearance.

Telcos seek easing of 'stringent quality of service' norms

Telcos seek easing of 'stringent quality of service' norms

Rediff.com10 Jan 2025

Continuing to push back against the stringent quality of service (QoS) norms brought in by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), telcos have informed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) that collection and submission of monthly and site-to-cell-level data should be eased, officials and industry sources said. In place since October last year, the QoS norms call for data for network availability, call drop, voice packet drop rate in uplink and downlink, among other parameters, to be collected at the cell level.

RIL, Airtel stocks rise after SpaceX deal

RIL, Airtel stocks rise after SpaceX deal

Rediff.com12 Mar 2025

Shares of Reliance Industries as well as Bharti Airtel began the trade on a positive note on Wednesday after the two firms announced their partnerships with Elon Musk's SpaceX for providing high-speed internet services in India. Bharti Airtel stock opened with a gain of 5.49 pc to hit a high of Rs 1,388.25 apiece on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). Soon, it pared all gains and traded 0.77 per cent lower to Rs 1,650.10 per piece.

4 pro-YSRCP news channels off air in Andhra post polls; Oppn party moves TRAI

4 pro-YSRCP news channels off air in Andhra post polls; Oppn party moves TRAI

Rediff.com23 Jun 2024

In a recent letter to TRAI, Reddy claimed the Andhra Pradesh Cable TV Operators Association took these four channels off air due to alleged coercion by the TDP-led government in the state.

Why Elon Musk is 'thankful' to Jyotiraditya Scindia

Why Elon Musk is 'thankful' to Jyotiraditya Scindia

Rediff.com16 Oct 2024

Tech billionaire Elon Musk thanked Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia for not agreeing with Indian tycoons Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal on auctioning spectrum for satellite services, saying he is looking forward to serving Indians. Reacting to Scindia's statement that satellite spectrum will not be auctioned, Musk, in a post on X, said, "much appreciated! We will do our best to serve the people of India with Starlink".

Jio seeks revised paper on satellite spectrum allocation

Jio seeks revised paper on satellite spectrum allocation

Rediff.com7 Oct 2024

Reliance Jio has urged telecom regulator Trai to come up with a revised paper on spectrum allocation for satellite communication alleging that it ignores the key point of ensuring level-playing field between satellite and terrestrial services. In a letter to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) chairman, Anil Kumar Lahoti, Reliance Jio has sought revision of the consultation paper on recommending rules for "terms and conditions for the assignment of spectrum for certain satellite-based commercial communication services".

Tariff impact: Reliance Jio loses 3.76 million users in October 2024

Tariff impact: Reliance Jio loses 3.76 million users in October 2024

Rediff.com24 Dec 2024

Losing subscribers for the fourth straight month, Reliance Jio witnessed 3.76 million users leave the telecom operator in October, data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) showed on Monday. Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel reversed three months of decline, and added 1.92 million users, indicating it has overcome the impact of the broad-based tariff hikes imposed by private sector telcos in July.

Satellite spectrum: Reliance Jio sends second legal opinion to Trai

Satellite spectrum: Reliance Jio sends second legal opinion to Trai

Rediff.com4 Sep 2023

Reliance Jio has sent a second legal opinion to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on the subject of the potential allocation of satellite spectrum. The letter is written by retired Supreme Court Justice L Nageshwara Rao and argues in favour of auctions, stating that any other method for allocating spectrum apart from auctions could be constitutionally unsound. Business Standard has reviewed the letter.

Trai to update quality of service parameters soon; to meet telcos next month

Trai to update quality of service parameters soon; to meet telcos next month

Rediff.com6 Jul 2023

State-level reports every quarter for service quality and artificial intelligence-based solutions may be officially mandated as part of a set of more stringent, updated quality-of-service (QoS) norms by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) soon. The new norms will also factor in user experience for 5G networks, officials informed Business Standard. In February, Trai asked telecommunication (telecom) service providers (TSPs) to submit updates on measures taken to reduce call drops and lags and raise the quality of connection.

Jio, Airtel add nearly 48 lakh mobile subscribers in Sep, VIL loses 7.5 lakh: Trai data

Jio, Airtel add nearly 48 lakh mobile subscribers in Sep, VIL loses 7.5 lakh: Trai data

Rediff.com21 Dec 2023

Reliance Jio added 34.7 lakh mobile subscribers in September, cementing its lead in the competitive telecom market, while Airtel's wireless subscriber tally rose by 13.2 lakh, according to monthly data put out by Trai. Vodafone Idea lost 7.5 lakh mobile subscribers during September, dragging its wireless user tally to 22.75 crore. Reliance Jio gained 34.75 lakh wireless subscribers in September, and its user base climbed to 44.92 crore, as per data by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).

Telecom service providers log in to AI filter to stop pesky calls: Trai

Telecom service providers log in to AI filter to stop pesky calls: Trai

Rediff.com3 May 2023

Telecom service providers (TSPs) have begun to monitor and prevent spam calls since May 1, with the help of an artificial intelligence and machine language-based system acting on the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (Trai) latest directive on the matter, its officials told Business Standard. Touted as the first big technological measure against the growing menace of unsolicited commercial communications, all TSPs have confirmed to Trai that they have rolled out the AI/ML tool. The filter system works on the distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform used by TSPs, and is set to go for incremental updates, rules for which will soon be released, they added.

Tariff impact: Reliance Jio lost 7.96 mn users in Sep

Tariff impact: Reliance Jio lost 7.96 mn users in Sep

Rediff.com22 Nov 2024

Reliance Jio's major subscriber losses continued for the third straight month with 7.96 million users leaving the telecom operator in September, even as the state-owned BSNL stood out as the lone gainer, data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) showed on Thursday. Market leader Jio's subscriber loss has continued since July when the three private telecom operators - Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) - brought in a broad-based hike in tariffs.

B'luru engineer loses Rs 11.8 crore to 'digital arrest' scam

B'luru engineer loses Rs 11.8 crore to 'digital arrest' scam

Rediff.com23 Dec 2024

A 39-year-old software engineer in Bengaluru lost Rs 11.8 crore to fraudsters who impersonated police officials and claimed his Aadhaar card was being misused for money laundering. The victim was threatened with "digital arrest" and tricked into transferring money to various bank accounts over a period of time, believing his family would be arrested if he didn't comply. The fraud occurred between November 25 and December 12, and police have registered a case under the IT Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating and cheating by impersonation. Further investigation is underway.

Trai wants spectrum base price slashed by 39%

Trai wants spectrum base price slashed by 39%

Rediff.com11 Apr 2022

Telecom regulator Trai on Monday recommended about 39 per cent reduction in the reserve or floor price for the sale of spectrum for mobile services, including the latest 5G offering, as it looked to match revenue expectations with the industry's paying capacity. With large swathes of spectrum remaining unsold in the last two auctions, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) recommended to the government for selling airwaves in all existing bands of 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz and new slots of 600 MHz, 3300-3670 MHz and 24.25-28.5 GHz. It has suggested a lower reserve price for all bands, compared to the prices proposed in the previous recommendations in 2018.

Jio, Airtel drive telecom subscriber base growth to 120.5 cr in June

Jio, Airtel drive telecom subscriber base growth to 120.5 cr in June

Rediff.com21 Aug 2024

New customer additions by Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel pushed the Indian telecom subscriber base past 120.5 crore in June, according to a Trai report released on Tuesday. The wireless subscriber base grew marginally to over 117 crore and wireline connections in the country increased to 3.51 crore in June from 116.89 crore and 3.47 crore, respectively, in May, as per data released in Trai's subscriber report for June.

5G spectrum auction: Trai releases consultation paper

5G spectrum auction: Trai releases consultation paper

Rediff.com30 Nov 2021

Telecom regulator TRAI on Tuesday released a detailed consultation paper to discuss threadbare the modalities for auction of spectrum across multiple bands, including pricing, quantum and other conditions -- preparing the groundwork for 5G auctions slated for next year. Trai's comprehensive consultation paper runs into 207 pages and throws up 74 questions for industry-wide discussion, touching on crucial aspects like valuation and reserve price of spectrum, including 5G, quantum of spectrum, block size, eligibility conditions for participation in auction, roll-out obligations, spectrum cap, and surrender of spectrum. Norms will also be worked out for new frequencies such as 526-698 MHz and millimetre band, that is 24.25 - 28.5 GHz, in addition to bands such as 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300-3670 MHz.

AI to light the path at India Mobile Congress

AI to light the path at India Mobile Congress

Rediff.com15 Oct 2024

The government is expected to outline a policy framework for artificial intelligence (AI) at the annual India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2024, beginning Tuesday, officials said. Apart from industry participation, the four-day event will feature booths from over 15 ministries showcasing how AI is being integrated into their departments.

Every mobile user is a broadcaster, says I&B minister

Every mobile user is a broadcaster, says I&B minister

Rediff.com17 Oct 2024

Every mobile user is a content creator and broadcaster and has the moral responsibility to ensure the veracity of the information shared by them, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan said in New Delhi on Thursday.

'No Intention Of A Takeover in British Telecom'

'No Intention Of A Takeover in British Telecom'

Rediff.com22 Aug 2024

'We operate in 16 countries already, and therefore adding the UK to it, and beginning a chapter in the European continent is the next step.'

BSNL walks out as surprise winner of July tariff battle

BSNL walks out as surprise winner of July tariff battle

Rediff.com23 Sep 2024

After continuously bleeding subscribers for nearly two years, state-owned telecom services provider BSNL added 2.9 million users in July when its private-sector rivals raised tariffs by nearly 20 per cent. With BSNL keeping tariffs unchanged, many subscribers using entry-level plans shifted from Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi), said analysts.

DoT Sets 100 Days Agenda For New Telecom Rules

DoT Sets 100 Days Agenda For New Telecom Rules

Rediff.com25 Jun 2024

'The idea is to frame the ToR quickly, so that Trai can begin its consultations with industry stakeholders.'

Trai diktat on allowing SMSes for porting under any plan

Trai diktat on allowing SMSes for porting under any plan

Rediff.com7 Dec 2021

Sector regulator Trai on Tuesday directed telecom operators to "immediately" enable port out SMS facility for all mobile users requiring it, irrespective of value of their tariff offer, vouchers, or plans they have opted for. Trai's stern missive on smooth network portability, assumes significance as Reliance Jio had recently written to the regulator complaining that the new tariff structure of Vodafone Idea (VIL) allegedly restricts entry-level customers to port out their mobile number from its network. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has taken a strong note of telecom service companies not providing outgoing SMS facility in certain prepaid vouchers.

HC upholds TRAI order lowering price of TV channels

HC upholds TRAI order lowering price of TV channels

Rediff.com30 Jun 2021

A division bench of Justices Amjad Sayyed and Anuja Prabhudessai passed the judgment on a bunch of petitions filed by several broadcasters, like the Indian Broadcasting Foundation, a representative body of TV broadcasters, the Film and Television Producers Guild of India, Zee Entertainment Ltd and Sony Pictures Network India.

Taiwanese among 17 held in Gujarat for 'digital arrest' fraud

Taiwanese among 17 held in Gujarat for 'digital arrest' fraud

Rediff.com14 Oct 2024

Seventeen persons, including four hailing from Taiwan, were arrested by Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch for allegedly operating a nationwide 'digital arrest' racket, a Gujarat police official said on Monday.

Think Before You Make A Complaint!

Think Before You Make A Complaint!

Rediff.com7 Jun 2024

National Commission concluded that false and baseless allegations had been made in the complaint to claim a highly exaggerated and atrocious amount of compensation.