The Hindu Business Line : Mobile operators' council to help Govt set standards

Future plans
The operators are also roping in the Department of Posts to use the latter's nationwide network of post offices and postmen to assist in the subscriber verification procedure.
To prepare a common registry of all the dealers and post-paid subscribers to better regulate this issue.
To use this platform to jointly deal with other issues like levies and interconnection

New Delhi , May 1

In a major move to introduce self-regulation in the telecom sector, mobile operators have joined hands to form the Apex Advisory Council for Telecom (ACT) to assist the Government in setting industry standards and formulate policy. To begin with, ACT will look at making the mobile subscriber verification procedures foolproof as per the instructions of the security agencies.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), representing the GSM operators, and the Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India (AUSPI) have come under the umbrella of the apex council to formulate guidelines for subscriber verification. The operators are also roping in the Department of Posts to use the latter's nationwide network of post offices and postmen to assist in the subscriber verification procedure.

"The body has been set up jointly by COAI and AUSPI following the Government raising concerns about the loopholes in the procedures being followed by the operators in verifying subscribers. We are also planning to prepare a common registry of all the dealers and post-paid subscribers to better regulate this issue. Going forward, we are also planning to use this platform to jointly deal with other issues like levies and interconnection," said Mr S. C. Khanna, Secretary-General, AUSPI.

According to industry sources, COAI and AUSPI could also be talking of merging under ACT. "There is only the spectrum issue on which the two industry bodies are divided. Once the Group of Ministers takes a decision on the spectrum and if that is acceptable to both sides, then we see no reason why the two sides cannot merge," said an industry representative.

Telecom operators over the past few months have been collaborating on various issues, including infrastructure and points of interconnection with the Ministry of Communication, to bring all the parties on the same table. State-owned companies Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd have also joined in these initiatives.

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