Telephone

Fed up of SMS ads offering the latest in real estate or promising to reduce power bills or the size of your waist? For now, you have no option but to keep hitting the delete button on your mobile phone.

A regulatory dichotomy involving the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and the department of telecommunications (DoT) is letting illegal advertisers trespass into consumers' mobile phones at will.

Trai says the penalties for violating laws against illegal telemarketing are not stringent enough to keep advertisers at bay. While DoT says it is "looking into the matter" of reinforcing Trai's powers, operators claim Trai is not even using whatever regulatory clout it has to check telemarketeers.

The regulator's unsolicited commercial communication norm makes it mandatory for every telemarketeer to register with DoT and upload its database of mobile phone numbers on www.ndncregistry.gov.in. An unregistered telemarketeer caught advertising will have its connection cancelled.

Trai also set up a National Do Not Call Registry (NDNCR) in 2007, allowing mobile phone users to request that their numbers be made unavailable to telemarketeers.

deepti.b@livemint.com

Source: Live Mint By Deepti Bhaskaran and Ishita Russell Why you will have to live with SMS ads

justice Sen is reported to have remarked in open court on October 23, 2008 that " we ourselves receive calls at all times of the day and it is a nuisance. Those who make it should face the music". And it was faced when the Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission passed an order on December 26, 2006 ( 2007 CTJ 165- CP) imposing a penalty of Rs 50 lakh on Bharti Televenture and Cellular Operators Association of India ( COAI) and another fine of Rs 25 lakh on ICICI Bank and American Express Bank on whose behalf the calls were made, holding all of them to have indulged in unfair trade practices in not stopping the menace of unsolicited commercial calls and short messages on mobile phones.

The order was passed by the Delhi State Consumer Commission on a complaint filed by Nivedita Sharma against Airtel and the banks. Sharma, like other mobile subscribers, had been receiving calls from various banks and other companies marketing their products and services. She alleged that besides being disturbed at odd hours, her privacy and confidentiality were also severely affected because mobile companies were passing on the information supplied in good faith by subscribers to mobile companies, on to the telemarketers.

The author is an advocate and editor of Consumer Protection And Trade Practices Journal ( CTJ.) Email: rosykumar@ yahoo. com

Source: Mail Today By Rosy Kumar Unsolicited calls can attract legal action

India's top telecom regulator is setting up an online customer redressal mechanism that could be used by the country's 500 million-plus mobile users to take their complaints to their service providers.

This independent platform will work on a real-time basis, a top Trai official told ET, adding that this system would enable Trai to monitor if customer grievances are being addressed. "We can then see as to what percent of customer complaints are addressed," he said, asking not to be named.

Currently, only a fourth of the country's mobile subscribers have access to the internet, and the regulator is trying to expand the scope of the platform to include SMS-based complaints.

"We are looking at different technologies to explore if SMS or voice calls can also be made part of the online customer redressal platform," the official said.

Trai has decided to go in for this online model as it is not empowered to handle individual consumer complaints against service providers. The regulator will begin the process next month, and after consultations with all stakeholders, it plans to have the platform working from the beginning of next fiscal (April 1, 2010).

Source: Economic Times By Joji Thomas Philip Get Online to Put Your Telco In Line

In a meeting between the department of telecom ( DoT) and mobile service providers, operators expressed their inability to ring in MNP from December 31, this year, as was scheduled. The facility was to come into force in the four metros -- Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata -- to begin with.

Private telecom operators aside, even the two state- run telecom firms -- Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd ( BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd ( MTNL) -- have said they would not be able to get their networks MNP- ready by December and have indicated they may need time till March next year.

A senior DoT official said, " MNP can be implemented only if the network is upgraded 100 per cent. In case some operators are not ready with their networks, it will not be possible to have number portability.

source: Mail Today Mobile number portability put off by 6 months

According to DoT sources, DoT intends to implement the migration of the existing 10-digit numbering plan to an 11-digit plan, effective January 1, 2010. DoT essentially wants service providers to prefix the digit 9 to the existing numbers.

When contacted, mobile operators denied receiving any such directive. However, it is learnt that the direction is to be sent out to all operators, industry associations and telecom regulator Trai.

The move will substantially enhance the numbering capacity, which is important, considering that India is the fastest growing mobile market with close to 500 million subscribers and set to touch the 1 billion mark by 2014.

For consumers, the new numbering plan poses a challenge in terms of updating phonebooks. Subscribers will have to manually prefix `9' to every mobile number in their phone.

Even if software allowing automatic updates is made available, it will then add `9' even to land line numbers on each consumer's personal phone contacts, which is also an inconvenience.

Source: Times Of India From Jan 1, your cell no. could have another 9

Cell users unhappy with the services of their operators need to pay a nominal fee of up to Rs 19 for moving to a new service provider, telecom regulator Trai said on Friday.

Subscribers in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and category ‘A’ circles such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh will be allowed to embrace number portability from December 31 while the rest of the country will enjoy the facility from March next year.

Several surveys have shown that about half the country’s mobile users are unhappy with the services offered by their cellular operators. Besides, the telecom industry already has an annual churn rate of 40%, indicating that a big chunk of subscribers may well dump their operators to avail better tariff plans and services once number portability sets in.

Trai said the fee for availing number portability cannot be more than Rs 19. With new operators waiting to start operations in the already-crowded Indian telecom market, the industry is expected to see competitive pricing in this segment too.

Already, thirteen mobile phone firms are jostling for space in a market that, analysts say, can support no more than 5 operators. And four more companies are due to launch services next year

"Grant of a facility without being asked for it and permitting its use without bothering to look into the various complaints being made by the consumer regarding over-charging, is case of severe deficiency in services by the respondent (service provider) for which the consumer cannot be made to suffer," Additional District Judge Kamini Lau said while disposing off a petition filed by one Laxmi Narayan, who said that MTNL had charged him for STD, a facility which he never asked for.

Narayan had challenged the MTNL's bill of Rs 46,971, on a 23-year-old connection. He alleged that at the time of getting the connection he had specifically mentioned in the application that he did not want STD facility and yet the company went ahead to charge him for it. He also challenged the award of the arbitrator which asked him to pay 50% of the bill on the ground that the same was against the facts and law.

The arbitrator, who was appointed to settle the dispute between MTNL and Narayan, had come to the conclusion that Narayan had never requested for the STD facility but was provided and the service was availed. The arbitrator said that having used the said facility, Narayan was liable to pay.

Source: Times Of India `No charges for default services'

Having already set a deadline for mobile number portability (MNP), the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday announced several regulations related to it.

These regulations allow subscribers to retain their existing mobile numbers, whether they change telecom operators, or switch from one cellular mobile technology to another of the same service provider.

A subscriber can apply for change of operator after 90 days of the date of activation of his mobile connection with the existing operator. He will have to apply for MNP to the operator he wants to shift to.

He may be required to pay a fee for the switch and will have to clear all bills issued prior to the date of his request.

A subscriber may also withdraw his application within 24 hours of submitting it.

The government had earlier announced a deadline of December 31 for implementation of MNP in metros and Category A circles (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Maharashtra) and March 20, 2010 for the rest of the country.

"The introduction of MNP will increase competition between telecom operators and act as a catalyst for them to improve quality of service," said TRAI chairman J.S. Sarma. A subscriber will have to put in an application to the operator he wants to switch to He may have to pay a fee, and will have to clear all outstanding bills The switch will happen 4 days from the date of submission of the application The subscriber can retain his old number

The identity number could be the one to be issued by the government for which an UID Authority has been set up, or any other like driving licence number. The situation has arisen in the wake of phenomenal growth in the mobile telephony with over 1 crore subscribers being added every month.

"We are carrying out a study to check whether some other ID numbers can be used as the mobile number. The current, 10-digit number will get exhaust soon. So we are looking at this--one number--concept where in a single number can be used for different purposes," C-DOT Executive Director P V Acharya told PTI.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) is planing to come up with 11-12 digit number, but what is guarantee that this will also not fall short of demand, he said.

Source: Economic Times Your unique identity number may become your mobile No.

The department of telecom (DoT) on Friday allowed all long-distance licence holders in the country to market their products directly to consumers in the form of prepaid packages or through calling cards, in a move that will increase competition and bring down international call rates by half.

They will be allowed to sell the product online too, according to the DoT directive issued on Friday.

It works like this. Suppose you are a Vodafone Essar subscriber and Verizon offers the cheapest ISD tariff, then you can buy a prepaid long-distance package from Verizon for so many seconds. You punch in a set of numbers specified in the package to get onto the Verizon network and make your calls. You can talk for as long as your prepaid package permits.

The same is true for STD calls too: you can buy a calling card from the operator offering the best rates.

Source: Economic Times Now, calling-card connection for all    

ISD rates may see steep fall

For BSNL subscribers, while roaming in above stated MTNL areas, outgoing call rates of their home tariff plan will apply. SMSes will be charged as per applicable existing roaming tariff.

MTNL provides GSM mobile services under its license area covering Delhi and NCR towns of Ghaziabad, Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad. BSNL subscribers are charged roaming tariff while they move into these areas.

'''We have decided not to collect any roaming charges from our customers of Haryana whenever they make call or answer call while they are in Chandigarh and Panchkula," BSNL Chairman and Managing Director, Kuldeep Goyal told reporters here today.

Mobile users of Punjab circle are already not being charged for roaming services in Chandigarh and Panchkula.

Besides, the mobile operator has also made up its mind to make roaming free districts of Gurgaon and Faridabad for its Haryana mobile customers. "We are holding talks with MTNL to offer roaming free service in Gurgaon and Faridabad districts and it is expected that it would be possible by next month," he said.

With this decision, over 18 lakh mobile subscribers of Haryana are going to be benefited, said an official.

Meanwhile, BSNL, Chief General Manager, P.K. Paliwal said that 3G services has been commissioned in 10 towns of Punjab circle including Mohali. "In Ludhiana 3G services will be launched next month and in Zirakpur, it would be introduced on Wednesday," he said.

The Delhi Metro will be installing 134 multiple mobile charging machines at its various stations across the city which will be operational from July in a phased manner.

In addition, charging points will be available for laptops and mobile phones in 131 new trains which are being inducted for Phase II of the Delhi Metro.

"Metro commuters can charge their mobile phones at stations soon as charging points are being installed by the DMRC at Metro stations for the convenience of the commuters," Delhi Metro spokesperson Anuj Dayal said.

MTNL had launched its 3G services in January but has only 400 subscribers till now. The pre-paid option is expected to drive up the demand for the company. Mr R. S. P. Sinha, Chairman and Managing Director, MTNL, said he expected at least two lakh 3G users within the first year of operations.

Initially, the services were launched in NDMC area in New Delhi with 50 base stations.

Extended coverage
Now, MTNL has extended 3G coverage to Trans Yamuna, Central Delhi, South Delhi and NCR of Gurgaon with 225 base stations. The company will soon cover Noida, Dwarka, Karolbagh, North-West and the remaining areas in and around the capital.

The 3G pre-paid services are available at Rs 300 with lifetime validity, and a customer can make local video calls at Rs 1.8 a minute and download data at Rs 3 for each MB.

In addition, a subscriber will have to buy data ranging between Rs 99 and Rs 2,500 coupons. MTNL has bundled free data download of 50 MB with a trial coupon for Rs 99. Heavy users can pay Rs 2,500 a month for unlimited data download.

The PSU will add new capacity to accommodate 8 lakh users. Since 95 per cent of existing mobile users are on pre-paid, MTNL expects more demand for the 3G service.

Mr Sinha said the service has given an advantage to the state-run company over private players.

MTNL and BSNL are the only operators to have got spectrum for offering 3G services.

Now, that date has been extended to June 30. You can go to any of the 10 centres in Delhi opened by Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), the GSM mobile industry association, and can get IMEI implanted on it.

This is a requirement of security agencies, which need IMEI number for tracking a mobile user. COAI said that it would have about 2,000 such centres all over the country by June 30.

A customer can go to any of these centres and get the IMEI number loaded in five minutes, COAI director general TV Ramachandran said. The cost: Rs 180.

"Customers have bought these handsets in good faith," Ramachandran said.

"When they bought mobile phones they did not know that these phones do not have IMEI numbers. They should not be punished for their innocence." The operators would send SMS messages to their customers informing them where to go for the getting IMEI implanted. Moreover, this information will be available on the website of COAI.

Although it's almost three years since the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) passed a regulation to this effect, few consumers are aware about it.

According to the Regulation on Quality of Service of Basic and Cellular Mobile Telephone Services, 2005, in case of faults pending for more than three and up to seven days, consumers must be given a rent rebate for seven days; for faults pending for seven to 15 days, a rebate for 15 days; and for more than 15 days, rebate for a month.

The little-known stipulation is all the more significant considering there are close to 38 million wireline (landline) subscribers in the country at present. Besides, according to the National Consumer Helpline (NCH), a project supported by the ministry of consumer affairs, the total number of telecom-related complaints including both landline and wireless registered at the helpline rose to 1,500 between March 2008 and February 2009 from 900 in the corresponding period of 2007-08.

Source: Times Of India CONSUMER WATCH

"This is mainly due to the policy of forbearance adopted by the regulator," said Nripendra Misra, chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). "We have intervened only in the case of roaming when operators didn't reduce prices." Operators, however, have a different view.

"Falling tariff is good for the consumer," said R S P Sinha, chairman and managing director, MTNL. "But at some point it has to bottom out. Perhaps we have reached that level now. Otherwise it will become difficult for operators to make profits." In case of roaming, the regulator felt that the charges were very high. "Roaming tariffs were not falling despite competition. Therefore, we had to intervene.

Otherwise we have followed the policy of forbearance."

An operator in whose network a call originates pays termination charges to another operator in whose network the call terminates. For example, if an Airtel subscriber calls a Vodafone subscriber, then Bharti Airtel pays termination charges to Vodafone.

If operators pass on the termination charges to the consumers, then domestic call rates would fall by 10 paise per minute, or about 10 per cent, as average charges are currently around one rupee per minute.

"We have tried to reconcile the conflicting interest and extreme positions of the stakeholders in the larger interest of the consumers, quality of services and infrastructure," said TRAI chairman Nripendra Misra.

The increase in international termination charges to 40 paise from 30 paise may also result in reduced charges for international calls as domestic operators will get more by way of charges from incoming calls which could be passed on to domestic customers.However, charges for someone calling from abroad may rise by 10 paise per minute.

The Cellular operators association of India (COAI) has opposed the new rates, saying the regulator has not taken all the costs into consideration while deciding on new termination charges.The last review of the charges took place in 2006.

National Consumer Helpline No:
 1800-11-4000

The details of the above are available on TRAI's
Website http:// www.trai.gov.in

The Telecom Commission has approved the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)'s recommendations that were forwarded last year, which comprised the use of calling cards.Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Jyotiraditya Scindia told journalists here: "It would offer flexibility to consumers to choose their carrier for making long-distance calls. A person who wants to call up a specific country and region can choose the cheapest tariffs available in the market."As in the West where an array of calling cards allows subscribers to pick and choose any operator as per his need, in India too operators would be allowed to introduce country-specific cards or region-specific cards for domestic calls, he said.

Internet telephony

The Telecom Commission, however, referred back the TRAI's proposal of allowing unrestricted Internet telephony, which was also recommended by the telecom regulator last year. It has come as a setback to consumers, as it would have allowed users even cheaper calling through laptops or personal computers.

With the boost in broadband connections, usage of Internet telephony is booming in the West at the expense of mobile market. Fearing the same in India, mobile operators here have been opposing the TRAI's proposal on opening of Internet telephony.The DoT has now referred the matter to the telecom regulator seeking more clarity on a number of issues.

The Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI) has said it was an anti-consumer move that would hamper growth of broadband in the country. Internet telephony would have helped consumers make STD calls for as less as 10-40 paise a minute, besides making free local calls from their computers.

At present, a call from a computer can legally be made only to another computer and not to a phone.Unrestricted Internet telephony would allow users to make national and international calls to a phone from their computer.