(a) whether the Government has any proposal to reduce call rates in Mobile/Telephone connections of the subscribers;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Private Telecom companies revise their tariff plan frequently due to which the subscribers have to face difficulty; and
(d) if so, the action taken by the Government in this regard?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI
GURUDAS KAMAT)
(a) Regulation of Tariff has been mandated to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
(TRAI) vide the TRAI Act of 1997. The TRAI, in exercise of its powers, has issued
Telecommunication Tariff Order (TTO), 1999 (as amended from time to time), which lays down
the framework for Tariff for telecom services in the country. As per the existing provisions
of TTO, tariff for telecom services are under forbearance except with regard to Fixed Line
Service in Rural Areas, National Roaming service and Leased Line Service. Thus, the Service
Providers have the flexibility to offer a combination of tariffs including Roaming charges
that are subject to the ceilings prescribed by TARI. Presently, TRAI has no proposal to
further reduce the call rates in Mobile/Telephone connections of the subscribers.
(b) Does not arise in view of (a) above.
(c) & (d) As per the TRAI guidelines, there is no bar on the telecom companies in
revising the tariff plans. However, TRAI has issued various guidelines for protecting the
interest of subscribers from frequent revision in tariff. This includes, inter-alia,
availability of a plan for a minimum of six months, instructions regarding availability of
life-time/unlimited plans and protection against increase in tariff during availability of
a plan.