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Telecom Regulator Seeks Details On Call Failures At Points Of Interconnection 

The information will help TRAI determine the level of congestion.

A telecom tower (Photographer: Susana Gonzalez/Bloomberg) 
A telecom tower (Photographer: Susana Gonzalez/Bloomberg) 

Telecom regulator, RS Sharma has sought details from the telecom players on the issue of points of interconnection (PoIs). Responding to the ongoing connectivity dispute between incumbent operators and Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd., Sharma has asked service providers to furnish details on congestion at points of interconnection between September 15-19.

Points of interconnection help consumers across different networks to connect to each other.

The information should include how many calls were attempted, and how many failed at points of interconnection, which will determine the level of congestion, chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said.

Calling points of interconnection a bilateral issue between companies, Sharma said that TRAI is concerned about consumer welfare and the quality of service. According to current regulations, not more than 5 calls out of 1,000 can fail at points of interconnection.

We would like telecom service providers to ensure PoIs don’t drop calls and that quality of service norms on PoIs is maintained.
RS Sharma, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India 

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio has accused incumbent players – Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular – of providing less than the required number of PoIs needed to complete calls, leading to 75 percent of calls failing between Reliance Jio and other networks.

The regulator had called a meeting of all operators including Reliance Jio, Airtel, Vodafone and Idea where it had asked the companies to hold discussions on solving the issue. Following this, the incumbents increased the points of interconnection being provided to Reliance Jio.

However, Reliance Jio maintained that even now the PoIs provided by incumbents are not sufficient, leading to continuation of call failures.

Bharti Airtel in a statement issued on September 18, said Reliance Jio’s statements are intended to cover up technical issues in its own network which is causing call failures.

Reliance Jio also alleged that customers are also experiencing difficulties in porting their numbers to which Airtel responded that it is processing all requests as per guidelines. On this issue, the TRAI chairman said they have received a complaint from Reliance Jio on the alleged refusal of Mobile Number Portability (MNP). The regulator has asked the concerned operators for their version, and has assured they will take action after receiving information from all parties, Sharma said.