TRAI sets out tariff for mobile banking services

Aiming to promote use of mobile banking services across the country, telecom regulator Trai has come out with guidelines and tariff on unstructured supplementary service data (USSD)-based mobile banking services.

USSD technology is used by telecom operators to send alerts to their users. It can be used for pre-paid call-back service, location-based content services and menu-based information services.

"We have come out with a framework to help bank agents to interface with service providers for the use of SMS, USSD and IVR channels to provide mobile banking services. The authority wants to utilise the benefits of mobile banking for financial inclusion," Trai Chairman Rahul Khullar said. A large section of the population, especially in rural areas, do not have an easy access to banks and this facility will help to tide over that shortcoming, he added.

Trai has prescribed that ceiling tariff for an outgoing USSD-based mobile banking service shall be Rs 1.50 per USSD session. "Telecom service providers should collect charges from their subscribers for providing the USSD to deliver mobile banking services," the regulator added.

All service providers should facilitate not only the banks, but also the unauthorised agents of banks to use SMS, USSD and IVR (Interactive Voice Response) to provide banking services to bank customers, it said.

More: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/TRAI-sets-out-tariff-for-mobile-banking-services/articleshow/26495843.cms

Panel for 15-25% hike in reserve price of airwaves

Overruling the recommendation of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), the Telecom Commission has suggested a hike of 15-25% more than what the telecom regulator had proposed for the reserve price, in select circles.

The inter-ministerial panel, which met on Wednesday to take a call on the reserve price issue among others in the telecom spectrum auction suggested 15% increase in the reserve price of 1800 MHz spectrum in some circles Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, and 25% in the reserve price of 900 MHz spectrum to be auctioned in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Last month, in response to the Department of Telecom (DoT’s) request, Trai stuck to its earlier recommendation that the government should cut the reserve price sharply for the upcoming 900 MHz and 1800 MHz spectrum auctions.

It had rejected the government’s request to reconsider its recommendations that the reserve price for spectrum in the 900 MHz band in some key areas be reduced by 60%.

Furthermore, Trai had suggested a 37% cut in the reserve price for spectrum in the 1800 MHz band.

The commission has also gone against the Trai recommendation not to auction the spectrum in the 800 MHz band. However, it has broadly accepted the new merger and acquisition policy, suggested by an internal committee of the DoT. Now a final call on the issues will be taken by the empowered group of ministers (EGoM).

The last two auctions conducted in November last year and early this year had failed miserably on account of high reserve price. According to industry experts, the then reserve price of Rs3,622 crore per megahertz (MHz) for 1800 MHz band spectrum recommended by the selfsame Trai made it unaffordable for telcos.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said that though the operators would still be bidding at this price, a lower price would have ensured a more aggressive bidding.

More: http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report-panel-for-15-25pct-hike-in-reserve-price-of-airwaves-1914798

Trai for pan-India portability in 6 months: What it means for you

Telecom regulator TRAI today recommended full mobile number portability within six months. If implemented, this would mean you can keep your mobile number same but switch to any operator, even if that operator does not operate in your telecom circle. As of now, number portability is only partial, since anyone wanting to change operator must choose between only those operators which are present in his circle. 

For example, if a subscriber belongs to Andhra Pradesh circle, he can port his mobile number to any operator of his choice within Andhra Pradesh circle only as of now. Whenever a subscriber changes his circle, he needs to acquire a new mobile number of that circle, otherwise he will be under roaming, inviting higher call charges than a normal subscriber. If what TRAI says is implemented completely, it would mean acceptance of a porting request by the Recipient Operator (the operator you want to switch to) from a mobile number belonging to any of the circles of the country, irrespective of the fact that the circle from where the subscriber is porting his mobile number and the circle to which he wants to port his number belong to the same or different porting zones. 

when full MNP kicks in, every time you dial a mobile number it will be advisable to prefix it with +91 so that if it has been ported, the call gets connected. Reuters Also, when full MNP kicks in, every time you dial a mobile number it will be advisable to prefix it with +91 so that if it has been ported, the call gets connected. But the regulator seems to have waived aside a genuine consumer concern: what about higher call charges and possible subscriber complaints because of glitches in full MNP? The calling party may not know that the called number has been ported to operator of another circle and may end up paying STD charges. 

In its recommendations, TRAI says “most operators were of the view that STD rates have plummeted to almost the same level as local call rates hence,it is not a major issue. Further, in most cases, the calling party may already be aware that the called party has moved to another circle. Therefore, the onus should lie on the calling party to bear the STD charges, if applicable.” The regulator has asked telcos to develop a website so that a query for a given telephone number can be given which will provide information about the current serving operator/circle for the called number. It has suggested that the Department of Telecom may carry out necessary changes in the existing Mobile Number Portability License for telcos and any other changes needed so that full MNP is active within the next six months.

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/business/trai-for-pan-india-portability-in-6-months-what-it-means-for-you-1132787.html?utm_source=ref_article