TRAI has told the Delhi High Court it will not take any coercive action against telecom operators for not following its call drop compensation rules until January 6. The day is set as the next date of hearing for the case it is currently embroiled in with network providers.
The players are looking to put a stop to TRAI’s new law, which states that all companies must pay customers Rs 1 per call drop. Compensation is restricted to 3 occurrences in a day. PTI reports the brands haven’t succeeded in this aspect so far, as the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) PS Narasimha has clarified the regulations will begin on January 1 as was promised.
The ruling is being opposed by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India (AUSPI). The opposition party includes 21 service providers such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Reliance. The companies hold that the declaration is unfair as the laws of physics make it impossible to supply 100% error-free connectivity.
Speaking on behalf of the network operators, senior advocate Harish Salve told the Delhi High Court the fine was being imposed without taking into consideration the infrastructure difficulties which the players have to deal with. He asserted that TRAI was playing to the galleries and did not think about factors like inadequate spectrum and lack of towers.
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Furthermore, he claimed that even the sites which were being used have to be operated at 1/10th of its capacity in order to quell concerns about radiation. This in addition to network congestion has resulted in call drops. Telecom firms are now afraid its license will get cancelled if it doesn’t follow the new rules.