Telecom network operator Bharti Airtel today urged Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to review the free voice and data offers — from Reliance Jio – that affect networks.
“We urge the TRAI to find a way to curb the massive asymmetric traffic to ensure that receiving networks are not abused by tsunami of free traffic. In this regard, IUC is an effective tool in the hands of TRAI, which we hope they will use judiciously,” said Bharti Airtel in a statement issued on Friday.
Vodafone, Idea Cellular, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel today met TRAI officials to solve the current issues in the wake of the 4G service launch by Jio.
Bharti Airtel in a statement said it has provided Points of Interconnect (PoI) to other operators and is fully compliant with all regulatory guidelines and licence conditions. None of the new operators, who have launched services in the last few years, have faced any PoI related issues with Airtel.
“We request the TRAI to also engage on the subject of a fair IUC regime and ensure that the practice of pricing is in compliance with the 30th Amendment of the Telecom Tariff Order dated January 16, 2004, which envisages tariffs to be IUC compliant, non-predatory and non-discriminatory,” said Airtel in a statement.
Airtel said the traffic will inevitably get to a more balanced level and PoIs will be less of an issue after the commercial charging of services by Reliance Jio, which is expected by January 1, 2017.
“We continue with our efforts to augment the hundreds of PoIs already given to Reliance Jio, as per the bilateral agreement, so that customers are not inconvenienced,” said Bharti Airtel.
