Regulators
Trai requests telecom service providers to review consumer complaints
Mumbai : The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) recently held a meeting with major Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to review the issues related to the quality of telecom services being faced by consumers and the menace of unsolicited commercial communications (UCC).
The authority has directed TSPs to take immediate action to demonstrate visible improvements in service quality and consumer experience. TSPs were instructed to investigate the issue of call muting and one-way speech and to take corrective action as soon as possible. TSPs should ensure that there is minimal disruption or degradation of QoS of existing telecom services while rolling out 5G networks.
TSPs were also informed that Trai is closely monitoring long-duration network outages. Such outages have a negative impact on service quality and the consumer experience. All telecom providers were asked to notify Trai of any such outages in any district or state. If necessary, Trai may consider enacting appropriate regulations.
Trai also requested that TSPs plan and implement systems for online data collection for QoS benchmarks, as well as their processing to generate performance reports at the License Service Area, State, or lower granularity levels. This will simplify the process of QoS performance reporting by TSPs, reducing the compliance burden.
Given the scale and size of the network being built for the rollout of 5G services, as well as the important use cases being developed by various industry verticals, Trai requested that TSPs implement systems for internal QoS monitoring by TSPs on a 24×7 and 360-degree basis. It was also suggested that network features be used in accordance with standards, and that Al/ ML techniques be used for QoS monitoring and management.
Trai has also asked TSPs to implement two directives issued by Trai on 16 February, 2023, in a timely manner. These two directives were issued to combat some telemarketers’ misuse of principal entity (PE) headers and message templates, as well as messages from unauthorised or unregistered telemarketers, including telemarketers using telephone numbers.
Reduce unwanted calls from registered telemarketers or 10-digit phone numbers and place them on the DLT platform for management and monitoring.
I&B Ministry
MIB halts news TRPs for four weeks over sensational US-Iran conflict coverage
Government flags panic-mongering in television war coverage
NEW DELHI: India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting directed the Broadcast Audience Research Council India (BARC) to suspend television ratings for news channels for four weeks amid concerns over sensational coverage of the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Iran.
According to media reports, the move intends to curb excessive dramatisation in television reporting that could trigger unnecessary public anxiety.
Officials have observed that several news broadcasters are amplifying developments in the conflict in ways that may fuel panic among viewers. By temporarily halting the publication of viewership data, the ministry hopes to ease the competitive pressure on channels to chase ratings through sensational content.
The suspension will remain in effect for one month for now. During this period, television news channels will continue to broadcast as usual, but their audience measurement figures will neither be counted nor released.
Authorities will monitor both the evolving geopolitical situation and the tone of television coverage during the pause. The four-week suspension could be extended if the government believes the risk of panic-mongering or sensational reporting persists.
