After last week’s failed appeal to the Supreme Court, telecom operators have now written to TRAI directly regarding its call drop compensation order. It’s asking the authority to not go through with the scheme since the matter is still being heard by the apex court.
To recall, the Delhi High Court had come out in favor of TRAI’s call drop compensation scheme last month, dismissing the petitions filed by industry bodies Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India (AUSPI). The network companies then decided to move the Supreme Court on the issue.
The Supreme Court proceeded to strike down the brands request to grant temporary relief from the call drop order while the matter was still under dispute. TRAI was free to fix any date for the enforcement of the system. It chose to give the players time till March 7 to get things in order and submit a compliance report concerning its plan to reimburse customers for call drops.
It looks like the service providers haven’t follow through with this order. COAI and AUSPI have instead written a joint letter to TRAI asking it to not enforce the plan as the Supreme Court has set March 10 as the next date of hearing for the matter. The operators are probably still holding out hope that the apex court will do away with the scheme.
Also Read: Supreme Court strikes down telcos request for interim relief on call drops
They might be fighting a losing battle here, given the Supreme Court itself said that brands should be made to pay consumers for call drops if it causes the problem. The authority has asked TRAI and the central government to file a response to the appeals made by AUSPI and COAI before March 10.