Maintain quality of service: TRAI to operators

New Delhi, March 26 (IANS) The telecom regulator has asked the operators whose licences stand cancelled following the Supreme Court verdict to ensure quality of service during the period of four months time given before closing down, Minister of State for Communications and IT Milind Deora said Monday.

"The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), which discharges the function of ensuring quality of service under the TRAI Act, 1997, has issued instructions to all licensees whose licences have been ordered to be quashed by the Supreme Court, to ensure quality of service during the period of four months, as per licence conditions," the minister said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

Last month, the Supreme Court ordered cancellation of 122 licences issued in 2008 and asked the affected firms to shut shops in four months.

The apex court has also asked the government to re-distribute the licences through auction process.

The government has sought TRAI's recommendations which has issued a consultation paper in this regard.

In a separate response, Deora also said that according to TRAI call tariffs may increase following heavy increase in the price of licences.

TRAI has said that call rates are determined by the service providers based on several factors including input costs, market conditions and other commercial considerations.

Licence fee paid being one of such input costs, if there is heavy increase in licence fee the same may also get reflected in the pricing for services.