Trai Says Fixed Wll Phones Must Be Confined

[Arun 795]

NEW DELHI, MARCH 4:

Financial Express

Following a slew of complaints of service providers misusing their licences to offer wireless in local loop-fixed (WLL-F) services as mobile services, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has written to all service providers to strictly comply with the licence conditions.

Further, the regulator has also written to the department of telecommunications (DoT) seeking a clarification on the licence conditions that would ensure that there is no misuse of fixed line service phones.

Confirming this, a Trai official said, “The notices have been sent to all the operators to ensure that the WLL-F subscriber’s terminal is operated in accordance to the licence of fixed line services and not mobile services.” In its letter to all operators, Trai has written: “Access service providers should ensure that the terminal used for fixed services should be confined to the premises of the subscribers only.” “The idea is to ensure that subscriber’s terminal is operated in accordance to the licence for fixed services,” the Trai official explained. Recently, Trai had issued show-cause notices to basic telecom operators that include Tata Televentures, Reliance Infocomm, BSNL and MTNL, for ‘misleading’ the consumers by positioning their fixed wireless phones as mobile phones. Tatas have positioned their fixed wireless phone ‘Walky’ as “Freedom of Mobility at Landline Rates”, Reliance calls such a service “Unlimited Cordless” and MTNL’s Garuda fixed wireless is called “Mobile bhi landline bhi...”.

Tata had approached the Telecom Dispute Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against the Trai’s directive to withdraw the advertisements that mislead the consumers. TDSAT in its decision asked Trai to withdraw the directive, following which Trai had sent another notice to Tata. In response to this, Tata had furnished its arguments justifying its stand. After a period of silence, Trai on Thursday issued yet another notice to Tata Teleservices for the misuse of fixed services.

[eskay 0]

When will they quit trying to control technology instead of trying to use it for the good of citizens of this country? It's like saying that a petrol car can go on the highway but a diesel car can stay only within city limits. Dammit, the technology has moved on since you last wrote the telecom policy. Change your policy.

[Puneet 0]

When will they quit trying to control technology instead of trying to use it for the good of citizens of this country? It's like saying that a petrol car can go on the highway but a diesel car can stay only within city limits. Dammit, the technology has moved on since you last wrote the telecom policy. Change your policy.

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No one is trying to restrict technology here, in fact India India already has technology neutral Unified License. Its just the application of technology within the license conditions. No one has stopped companies to offer mobility on "Mobile" connections where they do pay the required ADCs - I am not justifying the ADC here. But Fixed wireless phone is regarded as a basic landline conection and attracts the same rentals and/or ADC - which makes a subsidized service at the cost of the "mobile" users, and if some company starts *mis*using this subsidy to provide mobile connections, well its TRAI's prerogative to enforce the license.

And moreover, its the technology neutral concept which has made the Fixed wireless service possible - where wireless is used as a last mile connectivity thus bringing down the cost of the connection significantly.

Using your analogy, its not like a petrol and a diesel car, its more like a LPG driven car which can use LPG available at filling stations (LPG sold at market rate) but cannot use the domestic LPG cyclinders (highly subsidzed).

[Chirag 5]

Using your analogy, its not like a petrol and a diesel car, its more like a LPG driven car which can use LPG available at filling stations (LPG sold at market rate) but cannot use the domestic LPG cyclinders (highly subsidzed).

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