Trai extends comments deadline on draft regulation around metering and billing of telecom services

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has extended the deadline for submission of comments on its recent draft regulation, reviewing the telecom quality of service (QoS) code around metering and billing accuracy.

The regulator has extended the deadline by three weeks, to May 1. The earlier deadline was April 7.

Trai’s draft regulation looks at changes needed in metering and billing accuracy at a time when telecom services have seen big changes, especially around tariff structures with the introduction of unlimited voice and data plans.

According to the regulator, accuracy of metering and billing of telecom services has always been its prime focus to protect consumer interests. But it now wants service providers to deploy more advanced, robust and scalable IT products for accurate billing of various services, especially since telco networks have undergone major changes over the years and new IP-based networks such as 4G-LTE/5G technologies and carrying voice over data have now shifted the billing process from a per second/minute-based model to data volume-based billing.

In the draft guidelines, Trai had suggested that all telcos get their metering and billing systems and respective LSAs audited for access services by an auditor once every financial year. The regulator, in turn, will empanel auditors to conduct such an audit as per provisions of the QoS (Code of Practice for Metering & Billing Accuracy) Regulation, 2023.