Grahakjago (S.K.Virmani)©

Whether the move of telecom service providers for not supplying hard copy bills to consumers for telecom connection is really for saving paper?  The telecom industry in India is initiating a move to deregulate supply of post paid bills in hard copy to telecom subscribers and it is surprising that TRAI also seems to be considering the same even though supply of hard copy bill is laid down in Indian Telegraph Act, 1885. TRAI has already issued consultation paper for the same. The main reason behind such a move has been indicated to save cutting of trees for paper usage being used in delivery of printed bills by telecom companies to the consumers.  While it is a welcome initiative of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to place an environmental friendly system to save cutting of trees for paper usage being used in delivery of printed bills by telecom companies to the consumers, therefore, we should encourage dispensing with use of paper for hard copy generation ...

Unethical business practices by telecom service providers in life time validity plans subscribed by prepaid category of mobile subscribers        The telecom service providers had launched a scheme “life time validity” plans for mobile subscribers wherein the mobile users were being offered free incoming calls for which no recharge for its validity was required against one time charge. It was ranging from various amounts varying from company to company, the most prominent being Rs. 999/-. These plans were announced by telecom companies more than a decade back. The subscribers were required to recharge with talk time value recharge vouchers if the subscribers wish to use mobile for outgoing calls. While some companies like MTNL had a condition in the post paid category to use the connection for a minimum of Rs. 100/- in three months period and if the value of the consumption was less than Rs. 100/- in a quarter, the left over amount was being...

Do you feel that the latest TRAI regulations of unsolicited commercial communications is going to save you from telemarketing calls? An article : Are you still getting disturbed from Telemarketers despite strong regulations by TRAI- Why so?                     was published on this blog and the attention of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was also drawn about the problems being faced by the mobile users from telemarketing calls. We are thankful to TRAI for their intervention in making regulations further rigid. Thanks to the telemarketers who were also creating nuisance to Hon'able Mr. Kapil Sibal, Minister through such telemarketing messages. However, the basic issue of unregistered telemarketers may not get addressed which is the main source of all such nuisance. Merely by increasing the cost of the SMS from 100 nos. onwards is not going to get relief to the telemarket...

I have been in receipt of SMS from one of the mobile number which read as under: "CONGRATS!!!; YOUR MOBILE NO. HAVE WON 700,000GBP IN CNN UK 9TH ANNIVERSARY MOBILE DRAW. CONTACT CNNNEWSONLINE@XBMAIL.COM WITH UR NAME, ADDRESS & NUMBER FOR DELIVERY. FROM: 8285359647 " This is not the first time message and such messages keeps on landing at various mobile users and not only the mobile users but also through emails. I have reasons to believe such messages to be of fraudlent nature and therefore have been advising through various medai like facebook, newsletter to all users not to respond to such messages.  The modus operandii is that on seeking details from the receipient, they would be contacting and try to convince that the recipient has won the prize money and would seek some money to be deposited in one of their account towards processing fee. As is the nature of human, the person fall prey to such frauds in a very easy manner and start depositing the mone...

This news has appeared in theNavbharat Times dtd. 31st May 2012. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is the regulatory body in the Telecom Sector. One of the objective as per TRAI Act is to protect the interest of consumers. In my view the TRAI has failed to protect the interest of consumers as is quite evident from the above news report. It is not only that there is a failure in implementation of its regulations on MNP i.e Mobile Number Portability but also several other regulations. Few of them could be "Activation of VAS (Value Added Services", Unsolicited Commercial call (UCC) and all the three regulations were meant to protect consumers from unethical business practices. TRAI itself have confirmed under RTI that 5 regulations in UCC i.e Unsolicited Commercial Communications have not been implementable as no grievance redressal mechanism has been thought of. Is it not a joke with the 100 crore consumers??? Agreed, certain steps are forgotton at the time of making reg...