Private telcos reject move to define international traffic as opposed to global tech firms at recent discussion held by TRAI

Private telecom operators Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) have rejected the call to define international traffic, putting them at odds with global technology firms operating in India such as Amazon and Truecaller, which have sought a clear definition.

At a recent discussion organised by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), telcos said that rather than defining international traffic, there should be a mechanism in place to check the grey market, wherein telemarketers working for international firms disguise international traffic as domestic, resulting in a $ 400-500 million annual forex loss.

However, global technology companies emphasised the importance of defining international SMS, claiming telcos charge international rates even for traffic originating and terminating in India, whereas telcos denied the charge, accusing technology companies of disguising international traffic as domestic.

Further, Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) broke away from its private-sector peers by stating that there is a need to not only identify international traffic but also the routing of traffic in a way that is easy to interpret.