Telecom Companies to Provide Information About Their Services in Each Area; New Rules to Start from 1st October

New Delhi, 27th September 2024: Telecom companies will now make it easier for customers to know which services—2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G—are available in specific areas by visiting their websites. This new requirement regarding service quality will take effect on 1st October.

In many cases, a single company may offer 5G service in a metropolitan area while providing only 2G service in smaller towns. Under the new regulations, telecom companies are mandated to disclose various service quality standards on their websites. Previously, such information was not publicly available.

To address network issues, the performance of mobile services will now be monitored monthly, starting in April next year, instead of the current quarterly monitoring. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will gather data on network availability, call drops, and voice drops to provide detailed information on mobile performance.

TRAI has instructed all telecom companies to upgrade their online systems for monitoring service quality. The authority notified a unified regulation last month that replaces the Cellular Mobile Telephone Service Regulations 2009, Wireless Data Quality Service Regulations 2012, and Broadband Service Regulations 2006, which will come into effect on 1st October.

According to the new service quality rules, only messages containing secure URLs and Over-The-Top (OTT) links can be sent for communication starting from 1st October. Additionally, TRAI has requested that all telemarketing calls beginning with the 140 series transition to a digital laser platform by 30th September to facilitate easier monitoring.