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GSM industry body COAI has asked the Department of Telecom (DoT) not to give “exclusive” number series to Reliance Jio Infocomm and allocate only 10 lakh numbers in each circle in line with the guidelines.
According to media reports, Reliance Jio Infocomm has demanded 4 crore numbers to launch 4G operations in the country.
“We submit that there is an existing guideline set by DoT for allocation of numbers... When a service provider starts the services, they are allocated 1 million numbers in each circle of operation,” COAI has said in a letter to DoT Secretary M. F. Farooqui.
When contacted, Reliance Jio did not offer any immediate comments on the issue.
COAI said the existing guideline should be applicable for all the service providers and this should continue to be applicable to any new licensees.
Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (RJIL), the telecom arm of Reliance Industries, has got a unified telecom licence that will enable it to offer voice telephony and high speed data services across the country.
RJIL is the only company that holds a pan-India spectrum for 4G services. The company earlier held an Internet Service Provider Licence which would be annulled once it is issued UL.
The company has shown its intention to provide phone call services using radiowaves it has and is testing the technology for the same.
“No additional benefit should be conferred on any particular service provider by giving them additional numbers beyond their scope,” the Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI) has said.
The industry body said any changes will be against the level playing field as all the other service providers are following the existing rules set by DoT.
“Hence, Reliance Jio Infocomm should be allocated only one million numbers per circle of their operations,” COAI said.
The GSM body also said RJIL should not be allocated exclusive numbering series in order to maintain a level playing field.
“We submit that in the current scenario of multiple operators and explosive subscriber growth, considering the constraints in the numbering resources there is a great need to see that all the levels are utilised efficiently and there is no wastage of the important resource,” it said.
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