TRAI Issues Show-Cause Notice to BSNL for Violating Interconnection Rules: Report

TRAI Issues Show-Cause Notice to BSNL for Violating Interconnection Rules: Report

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a show-cause notice to state-owned telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for its failure to comply with the Telecommunication Interconnection Regulation 2018, according to a report by Financial Express. The notice served to BSNL in May, highlighted the company’s lack of adherence to the regulatory framework governing network connection arrangements between telecom operators.

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PoI Regulations

According to the report, the regulations cover a framework to facilitate seamless connectivity of calls and SMS messages to consumers across different networks. The framework also includes the provision of bank guarantees by telcos to ensure timely payments between operators in specific circles and the implementation of point of interconnections (PoI) for efficient traffic management of call/SMS services.

The report quoted sources familiar with the matter stating BSNL has not provided bank guarantees to telecom operators such as Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel, and Reliance Jio for circles where it owes payments. Additionally, the state-owned telco has failed to establish the necessary PoIs for outgoing traffic, which has resulted in the violation of interconnection norms.

Show-cause notice to BSNL

According to Officials quoted in the report, the show-cause notice was sent to BSNL in May, but the company has not responded yet. This violation of regulations has come to the limelight seven years after TRAI recommended a penalty of Rs 3,050 crore on Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea (when they were separate entities) for allegedly denying inter-connectivity to Reliance Jio, a new player in the market then.