The Indian telecom operators don't want the existing rules to change with regard to how many operator partners a Virtual Network Operator (VNO) can have at a time. A few weeks earlier, TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) floated a consultation paper seeking views on whether VNOs should be allowed to access service from more than one NSO (Network Service Operator). Here, an NSO would be a company like Airtel or Jio.
In response to the consultation paper, all the private telcos in India have opposed the move. Jio said that all the main telecom operators in India are providing both wireless and wireline services to customers and if VNOs were allowed to take service from several providers, it could lead to favouritism and create an unnecessary competitive environment. Besides that, Jio believes there can be technical and monitoring-related issues.
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Thus, Jio believes that there's no need to change the existing rules and VNOs should be restricted to access services only from one operator at a time. VNOs are companies that do not own any spectrum or infrastructure. They simply lease the network capacity from the telcos and resell it to customers. At present, for a particular licensed service area (LSA), VNOs are allowed to access services only from one telecom operator. It is the request of the VNOs to allow them to partner with multiple operators in the same area.
Airtel said that the regulator itself has debated and given reasons for not supporting the multi-parenting regime for the VNOs, and thus, the telco doesn't believe it should be introduced or allowed at this point.
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Vi on the other hand said that since TRAI has not given any implications of such change and its effect on the competition, VNOs should not be allowed to partner with multiple telcos to offer services in the same region or area.
