Trai to meet telcos, others next month to finalise 2019 agenda

New Delhi: TRAI is expected to meet telecom industry players next month, to deliberate on the issues that will be taken up during 2019, its chairman RS Sharma said Monday.

The discussion - now an annual feature - is however expected to entail a wider set of players in the telecom space this time, spanning operators, infrastructure providers and others.

"The meeting will take place next month. We will talk to them and ask them about the items they think, should be taken up in the next calendar year," Sharma told PTI on the sidelines of an interactive session on 'New Regulatory Framework for Broadcasting and Cable Services'.

This time around, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI's) discussion would not be limited to telecom service providers alone but expected to include infrastructure providers and "couple of other stakeholders in telecom space" as well, he noted.

"So it will be a broader consultation to figure out the new areas to be deliberated next year," Sharma said.

He noted that the priority areas for 2018, too, were identified through a prior discussion with players.

"We certainly have our own list of areas too, Sharma said.

He said Trai will be able to finalise its views on the issue of a regulatory framework for Over-The-Top (OTT) players in the coming 5-6 months. Last week, the telecom regulator had launched a consultation to explore the regulatory framework for OTP apps like WhatsApp, Facebook and Google Duo that provide calling and messaging services similar to that by telcos.

Trai sought public opinion on whether same rules should be applied on OTT applications providing calling and instant messaging services as applied on telecom players.

Meanwhile, addressing the interactive session on broadcasting, Sharma said the new comprehensive framework for the sector entailing tariffs, service quality and interconnect aspects, is aimed at "growth" and not hurting players.

"It is not aimed at hurting players but ensuring growth of the sector in an orderly manner and keeps the interest of stakeholders in mind," Sharma said.

The fiery session saw concerns being raised by Local Cable Operators and Multi System Operators on issues ranging from operationalising the new norms to `a la carte rates'.