The Hindu : Business : TRAI calls for regular report from telcos

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 15, 2006

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Business

TRAI calls for regular report from telcos

Special Correspondent

Sets six-point checklist

NEW DELHI: With nine directives failing to curb customer complaints about misleading tariff plans and levying of charges without consent, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has decided to seek compliance reports on six parameters from all telecom service providers every year.

TRAI has now set out a six-point checklist and asked all companies to inform it by the end of the month whether they are complying with this tariff related norms. TRAI felt it "necessary to obtain periodical certificate of compliance from the service providers in order to ensure that those directions having continuous application are being complied with by all the service providers,'' it reasoned in a statement.

All companies will have to tell TRAI every year whether they have complied with the six directives — prohibiting levy of migration charges by cellular service providers, mandating cellular service providers to carry forward unused balance during the grace period at the time of recharge by prepaid subscribers, prescription of format for publication/advertisement of tariff for consumer information, prompt refund of security deposit to the customers within a prescribed period, prohibiting telecom service providers from offering tariff plans with misleading titles and mandating all access providers to inform credit limit for post-paid customers in writing.

This initiative is expected to lead to better implementation of the various consumer protection measures by the telecom operators, observed TRAI.

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