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Telecom : TRAI drops carrier access code plan |
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Barely days after the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) ignored the suggestion by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on implementing mobile number portability, TRAI is believed to have decided to dump yet another consumer-friendly reform—carrier access code (CAC)—which would allow subscribers to choose long-distance carriers.
Trai has decided against implementing CAC, which has been on hold for more than two years now. Unlike mobile number portability where the final decision rested with the DoT, on CAC, Trai’s decision is supposed to be final.
Trai believes CAC is unnecessary since it recently issued intelligent network regulations. These regulations make it mandatory for telecom operators to provide interconnection to each other’s network to access toll-free numbers and virtual calling cards (VCCs).
While Trai chairman Nripendra Misra said that no final decision has yet been taken on CAC, sources said that with the intelligent network regulations being put in place, the choice of carrier for consumers would be available through VCC cards.
Telecom operators, who have been lobbying against CAC implementation, would be the major beneficiaries of the move. CAC implementation would have cost them over Rs 2,000 crore in network upgrade. Operators have reasoned that competition had already brought down STD/ISD rates and there was no need to implement CAC. They have been saying that there was enough competition in the market driving down tariffs.
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