Offer interconnection within 30 days of request, TRAI tells operators

In an effort to end disputes over providing interconnection, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has made it mandatory for operators to offer interconnection within 30 days of receiving a request from another operator.

The existing rules provide for a 90-day period, but this has proved to be rather long, given that many new entrants have acquired a large number of subscribers in short periods of time and require a ramp-up of points of interconnection capacities at shorter notice.

The regulator has also prescribed a daily penalty of up to ₹1 lakh per service area for operators violating the norms.

There have been a number of disputes between operators over interconnection; most recently, incumbent players declined to give points of interconnection to Reliance Jio.

The quality of service offered by an operator hinges on how well it interconnects with rival service providers. For example, an Airtel consumer making a call from her home in Delhi to an RJio subscriber in Chennai will get the best quality of service only if it fulfils two conditions.

First, both operators must have good network coverage wherever the caller and the receiver are located. Second, their networks must be interconnected.

The regulator observed that in the recent past, there have been several instances of refusal to enter into interconnection agreements, refusal to make available adequate interconnection capacity, and posturing for disconnection of interconnection facility on flimsy grounds, by some operators.

RJio, for example, had accused other operators of not providing sufficient points of interconnect, leading to massive call failures on its network, while the incumbents blamed it on RJio’s free calls, creating a “tsunami” of network traffic.

To avoid such events in the future, TRAI has release detailed rules for, among others, crafting network connectivity agreements, provisioning of such connectivity among operators at initial stages, augmentation of POIs, applicable rates or charges, and disconnection of ports.

TRAI also said it would keep a close watch on the implementation of these regulations by service providers and, if necessary, may review the regulations from time to time.

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