The Hindu Business Line : TRAI seeks data on `lifetime' offers

THE Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Thursday asked all mobile operators to submit data to prove the viability of the recently announced lifelong pre-paid card offers. The telecom regulator is also issuing a consultation paper to discuss the issue with operators.

TRAI has questioned the long-term viability and sustainability of these plans especially since most operators have been given a licence for 20 years. It has asked operators whether the lifetime can exceed their balance licence period and if not, would the plans vary in their validity duration. "What will happen to the plans if the traffic patterns and Interconnect Usages Charge regime changes substantially?" TRAI asked.

The Authority atn its meeting on Thursday therefore decided to carry out a quick consultation with all stakeholders on the above issues and evolve a sustainable regulatory policy.

"In respect of the recently launched lifetime tariff schemes by the mobile service providers, they had neither given data for examining viability nor assumptions/basis for arriving at a reasonable conclusion. Therefore, the Authority issued orders seeking information/data relating to traffic, cost and revenue details from all those service providers who have announced and implemented tariff schemes under the name and style of lifetime validity or unlimited validity or lifelong validity etc. This would help in examining the sustainability/viability of these schemes," it said.

The consultation paper would be issued by January 15 and TRAI expects that the final decision in this regard to be taken by February.

It also released a consultation paper on `Issues Pertaining to Next Generation Telecom Networks' to solicit the comments of stakeholders for arriving at the requisite recommendations and enabling regulation to facilitate migration to next generation network.

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