Called ‘The Standards of Quality of Service of Access (Wirelines and Wireless) and Broadband (Wireline and Wireless) Service Regulations, 2024 (06 of 2024)’, these regulations are applicable for access (fixed and mobile) and broadband services.
The new norms supersede the previous three regulations prescribing standards of Quality of Service (QoS), for basic and cellular mobile services, broadband services, and broadband wireless services.
What changes under the new rules
The new norms mandates service providers to display technology (2G/3G/4G/5G) wise mobile coverage maps on their website, to enable consumers to make informed decisions. Further, it requires service providers to publish QoS performance, against prescribed parameters, on their website.
As per the new norms, telecom operators will need to provide a rebate on rent for postpaid customers and extend the validity of connection for pre-paid customers in case of a network outage in a district.
“If any such significant network outage continues for more than 24 hours, the service provider shall provide a proportional rent rebate, as per subscribed tariff offering, for the actual number of days of service outage to postpaid subscribers registered in the affected district(s) in next billing cycle,” TRAI said.
TRAI said that it will count network outage duration of more than 12 hours in a calendar day as one full day for the calculation of rent rebate or extension of validity. “Rent rebate to postpaid customer or validity extension to prepaid customer, due delay in rectification of faults or due to significant network outage of more than 24 hours, as applicable, shall be made within one week of rectification of significant network outage,” the regulator said.
The authority has also decided to collect performance against certain parameters like network availability, call drop, voice packet drop rate in uplink and downlink, etc on cell level.