TRAI’s New Regulations Aim to Enhance Telecom Service Quality and Consumer Experience

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has introduced a comprehensive set of regulations to enhance the quality of service (QoS) for telecom consumers in India. These regulations, applicable to both wired and wireless access and broadband services, supersede previous QoS standards and introduce several key changes aimed at improving transparency, accountability, and overall service reliability.

Compensation for Service Disruptions:

A significant change is the mandate for telecom operators to compensate subscribers for service outages exceeding two hours at the district level. Postpaid customers will receive a rebate on their bill proportionate to the outage duration, while prepaid customers will have their connection validity extended accordingly.

Stricter Penalties:

TRAI has doubled the penalty for non-compliance with quality benchmarks, raising it from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh for each violation. This aims to incentivize operators to maintain high service standards and minimize disruptions.

Empowering Consumers with Information:

To enable consumers to make informed choices, service providers are now required to publish technology-specific coverage maps (2G/3G/4G/5G) on their websites. Additionally, they must publicly disclose their QoS performance data against prescribed parameters, fostering transparency and accountability.

Enhanced Monitoring:

TRAI will collect and analyze performance data at the granular cell level, covering metrics such as network availability, call drop rates, and voice packet drop rates. This will allow for a more detailed assessment of network performance and help identify areas for improvement.

Industry Impact:

These new regulations are expected to have a significant impact on the Indian telecom sector. While they may impose additional operational costs on service providers, they also incentivize investments in network infrastructure and quality improvement initiatives. Ultimately, the aim is to create a more reliable and consumer-centric telecom ecosystem in India.