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G. Rambabu

New Delhi , Sept. 11

FRESH trouble has ensued between the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the private cellular operators over the "local direct dialling" facility that they are providing. This facility allows their roaming subscribers to cut down on the STD charges when they are away from their home locality.

While the DoT is of the opinion that this service is "violative of national routing plan, numbering plan and unauthorisedly bypasses the national long distance traffic", the cellular operators argued that far from contravening their licence conditions, they had duly notified the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) before offering this facility to their subscribers.

As per the facility, a cellular subscriber in one city, say Mumbai, can call a cellular subscriber from Delhi and who is visiting Mumbai on the latter's mobile phone without it becoming an STD call. Both the caller and the person who receives the call will be charged at local call rates, with a small premium for using the facility.

In the same way, two mobile phone users from different cities, say Mumbai and Delhi, when in Chennai can log on to the same network and make use of the local direct dialling facility. The savings on STD calls can be as much as 70 per cent, as the cellular operators do not use the NLD network.

According to official sources, the DoT has written to the operators stating that this is not permitted under their licence conditions and is specifically a violation of conditions 24.2 and 24.9 of the agreement. Both the sections deal with the numbering plan and the national routing plan, whereby all calls between two different circle have to utilise the NLD network.

"The operators have given different names to such service like roamers local link, subscriber local dialling service etc. This has been viewed very seriously by the licensing authority. It is, therefore, desired that any operator doing so should stop the same forthwith, with immediate effect," the DoT stated.

Taken aback by this directive, the operators have written to the DoT, explaining that they are not violating the licence conditions. Since the TRAI had raised no objection, they had started offering this facility to their subscribers who had been burdened with huge STD bills, prior to the service.

Refusing to accept their point of view, the DoT has asked the operators to furnish written submissions and "explain their case in person in this regard, in line with the principles of natural justice". In case they do not do so, it will be taken that the operators have nothing further to say on the matter, the DoT has said.

The sources noted that in case the DoT does not accept their submissions and forces them to stop the direct dialling facility, their roaming subscribers will again have to start paying STD charges for all calls to mobile phones when they are roaming.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication

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DoT, cell operators spat over `local direct dialling'

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