Trai asks operators to launch data pack with 1-year validity

Telecom regulator Trai has asked telecom operators to launch at least one mobile Internet data pack that has higher validity of one year.

In August last year, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had permitted increase in validity for mobile data packs to 365 days from up to 90 days. This was done to increase Internet usage in the country and also attract first-time users. However, telecom operators did not launch any such pack.

According to sources, Trai has now issued an "advisory" asking the operators to bring out at least one such mobile Internet pack, reflecting the higher validity that was permitted.

Meanwhile, Sector regulator Trai on Monday launched a new app – MyCall – that enables subscribers to rate the quality of a phone call.

"The application will help mobile phone users rate their experience about voice call quality in real time and help Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) gather customer experience data along with network data," Trai said.

After a call ends, a pop-up will appear requesting the user to rate the call based on their experience. The caller will have to select the rating in the form of stars and indicate whether the call was made indoor, outdoor or while travelling. Callers can also provide additional details such as noise or audio delay and mark a call drop, if they believe that is how the call got terminated.

The government and the regulator have refused to lower their guard on the issue of call drops, and have kept a close watch on call quality through initiatives like drive tests and automated call system. Last year, when instances of call drops spiked, the government and the regulator made a co-ordinated effort to tackle the issue through deliberations with the industry. Besides, Trai has also upgraded its 'Do Not Disturb' app with new features like an intelligent spam detection engine and updates about action taken on complaints within the app.

At present, there is a framework for DND registry that allows telecom subscribers to block unwanted communication from telemarketers. Reaching out to such subscribers can result in a heavy fine for telemarketers. Trai has also rolled out an update to its MySpeed app, which allows customers to measure 3G/4G data speeds and send the results to the regulator.