The decks have been cleared for the appointment of TDSAT member JS Sarma as the new chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). Sarma will succeed former Trai chairman Nripendra Mishra who retired on March 22, 2009.
Trai member A K Sawhney had been acting as chairman since Nripendra Mishra retired on March 22 this year. Before joining Trai, Sarma was member of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal and is a well-known expert in the field, the regulator said.
Another priority is to prepare the country for the fourth generation (4G) technology. It will not only improve teledensity and improve data services, but also ensure that the country is prepared for all the future developments, says J S Sarma.
VAS operators constantly complain that as they provide features, content and a wide range of services like ringer tunes to mobile operators for their customers in the absence of a proper regulatory structure, they don't get adequate financial returns from telcos.
Telecom regulator TRAI on Friday dismissed GSM operators' charges that its recommendation to revise 2G spectrum prices will hit them hard and said they (telcos) were looking at the issue from a narrow perspective.
At present, there is no such system to know if the customer's complaint has been addressed or not, if not why, once a user lodges complaint with a service provider on any issues ranging from billing to quality of service. It is left to the telcos to look at complaints and act on it and sometimes there are long-pending complaints which go unadressed for a long time or not looked into at all and the customers become helpless and stop pursuing the solution.
Amid hue and cry by mobile operators about paying heavily for excess spectrum that would impact their profitability, telecom regulator TRAI on Friday said that outgo would be small and would not impact their operating profits.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) chairman J S Sarma said his recommendation to tweak the existing norms for mergers and acquisitions aims to prevent the union of two big companies or a big and a medium-sized operator, but it provides enough scope for mergers between others.
The telecom regulator has been in the hot seat for many decisions that have fundamentally changed the country's telecom business.
Besides Sunil Mittal (Bharti Airtel) and Anil Ambani (Reliance Communications), Sarma has written to Sanjeev Aga of Idea, Anil Sardana of TTSL, Marten Pieters of Vodafone, Kuldip Singh of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited and Kuldeep Goyal of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) will complete the consultation process for linking 3G spectrum price with 2G spectrum by July 15 and expects the government to wait for its proposals before taking a decision.
"I understand that DoT (Department of Telecom) should be able to take a decision in about 15-days. We (TRAI) should be able to announce a date soon...I don't think it will take long," Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Chairman J S Sarma told reporters.
In a relief to millions of mobile phone users, telecom regulator Trai on Friday said it will take 4-6 weeks to curb the menace of unsolicited calls and SMSes after DoT cleared the '140' number series exclusively for landline phones of telemarketing companies.
Recently, companies like Bharti airtel, Idea Cellular, Vodafone and Reliance Communications raised tariffs for their services by about 20 per cent in most operating circles.
On the heels of a highly successful 3G spectrum auction, the telecom regulator Trai on Thursday said it plans to bring out the recommendations on the fourth generation (4G) technology or ultra-broadband by the end of the year.
Earlier this month, the department of telecommunication had said that MNP that will allow users to switch providers without changing their phone number was likely to be launched by June 30, 2010.
It's difficult to say whether the CBI will find enough proof against telecom minister A Raja or whether it will get caught in the parcel of half-truths he's been dishing out on how he's just followed the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and the actions of his predecessors.
The Department of Telecom has initiated the process to fill the vacancies in the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India after retirement of two members.
This means the regulator can bring rates under regulation once again. Currently, the rates are determined by market forces.
The move ended week-long speculation the government might have to appoint an acting chairman before a final decision.
The recommendations are expected to give guidance on key issues, including base price of spectrum, amount of spectrum that should be allocated to a bidder and eligible participants.
The paying capacity of telcos will not be the same over the next two decades. J S Sarma, chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, says after the regulator recommended a high reserve price for the auction of 2G spectrum.
Indian telecom operators may soon be asked to compulsorily give their customers the option of paying tariff based on usage per second instead of the current per minute pulse, sector regulator TRAI said.
Telecom regulator TRAI on Thursday said that operators will have to provide an optional tariff of per second call along with other packages or plans.
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