The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has floated a pre-consultation paper, seeking inputs from stakeholders on rates for national roaming services.
TRAI has asked operators and other stakeholders to submit their comments and suggestions on the issue by January 17, 2013. After having received comments from different stakeholders, TRAI would publish a consultation paper on the issue of free roaming.
Further, based on TRAI?s recommendations, the Department of Telecommunications will develop a framework on national roaming.
TRAI has sought the views of stakeholders on different aspects of national roaming services, such as the cost components of call rates to be considered, recovery of cost in case incoming calls are to be made free, the rate for video calls and SMS while roaming, and the need for permitting special rate vouchers for roaming customers.
Telecom operators have been strongly opposing free roaming on the ground that if implemented, they will lose revenue of about Rs 135 billion. The government suggested implementing free roaming as part of the National Telecom Policy 2012. As part of the one nation-free roaming plan, mobile users will not have to pay high roaming charges while travelling out of one state to the other.
To read the complete pre-consultation paper on free roaming, click here
