In a move to make the telecom operators improve their networks and reduce call drops, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has doubled the penalty for violation of the service quality parameters.
TRAI has observed that the present amount of financial disincentives has not acted as a sufficient deterrent against non-compliance as there have been repeated consecutive cases of non-compliance with the benchmarks
According to the new rules, an operator will be fined Rs 100,000 for first non-compliance with the benchmarks in one quarter while non-compliance of the same in consecutive quarters would require the operators to pay a fine of up to Rs 200,000.
The new penalty norms are an increase from the limits issued by the regulator in January 2015, under which the operators were to be penalised between Rs 50,000 and Rs 100,000 for violations.
Meanwhile, TRAI is working on a proposal to compensate the consumers in the event of call drops and is expected to submit its recommendations on the same soon.
