Tussle between BSNL and private telecom operators continues


The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and
Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India (AUSPI) announced
that the threat arises from illegal claims made by
BSNL against private operators for delivery of its calls within the same
circle/state of BSNL will affect the consumer interests.


The illegal and coercive activity of BSNL to
disconnect interconnectivity between its network (both landline and mobile) and
private mobile operators’ network is in clear violation of the TRAI Regulations
of March 2009 as well as the TDSAT orders. The disconnection threats by BSNL,
if carried out, would result in extreme hardship to consumers in various
circles of all networks including that of BSNL.


According to TRAI’s Interconnect Usage
Charges (Regulation 2009)”, a private operator is required to pay 15 paisa per
minute as carriage charges for a call to the BSNL’s Fixed Line network within
the state/circle. However BSNL is unfairly trying to charge a higher amount of
65 paise per minute for such calls from all the private operators.


This is contrary to TRAI’s IUC Regulation of
March 2009. Private operators are not liable to pay this amount as wrongly
claimed by BSNL. The TRAI IUC Regulation of March 2009 is still valid and
subsisting.


BSNL has wrongly reported the entire issue
and no amount is outstanding on this account to BSNL. On the contrary, the
proposed coercive and unilateral action by BSNL to disconnect the private
operators’ interconnection is against consumer interest as it will cause undue
hardship to consumers of not only all private operators but that of BSNL as well,
COAI said in a press release.


On behalf of the industry, both organizations appeal to CMD, BSNL to withdraw
these illegal demands. The disconnection will cause inconvenience to all the
consumers all over country.


By Telecomlead.com Team
[email protected]