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Category: TRAI

  • TRAI makes recommendations on satellite-based connectivity for low bit-rate applications

    TRAI makes recommendations on satellite-based connectivity for low bit-rate applications

    New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has released the recommendations on “Licensing Framework for Satellite-based connectivity for low bit rate applications” for both commercial and captive usage.

    The recommendations come after the Department of Telecom (DoT) highlighted a need for a suitable licensing framework considering the constraints of the existing provisions in respect of proposed Satellite-based low bit-rate services. In its letter dated 23 November 2020, DoT had requested Trai to examine all the factors holistically and make recommendations.

    Low bit-rate applications and IoT devices require low cost, low power, and small size terminals that can effectively perform the task of signal transfer with minimum loss. Many sparsely populated areas with important economic activities suited for IoT-related services may not have terrestrial coverage or other forms of connectivity. Therefore, Satellites can help bridge this gap by providing coverage to even the most remote areas and will help in fulfilling connect India mission.

    Trai had initially issued a consultation paper on 12 March inviting comments and counter-comments from stakeholders by 7 May. “The authority received 29 comments and four counter comments from various stakeholders. An Open House Discussion (OHD) was also convened on the issues raised in the Consultation Paper on dated 2 June 2021 through video conferencing,” said Trai in a media statement.

    The regulator has recommended that for provision of satellite-based connectivity for IoT and low-bit-rate applications, the relevant service licensees may provide connectivity as per the scope of their authorisation for any kind of network topology model including hybrid model, aggregator model and direct-to-satellite model.

    All types of satellite – Geo Stationary Orbit (GSO) and Non-GSO (NGSO) satellites and any of the permitted satellite frequency bands may be used for providing satellite-based low-bit-rate connectivity. The Service Licensees should be permitted to obtain satellite bandwidth from foreign satellites in all the permitted satellite bands in order to provide satellite-based services.

    It also recommended that the relevant existing authorisations under the Unified Licensing framework may be suitably amended for enabling satellite-based low-bit-rate connectivity. “The government may come out with a road map detailing the schedule of the launch of communication satellites and availability of the domestic satellite capacities in India to facilitate the service licensees to plan and optimise their capacity procurement,” it added.

    Other recommendations include measures to make the services cheaper and affordable like permitting the hiring of foreign capacities for a longer period as per need instead of three to five years, removal of facilitation charges by the government when hiring foreign capacities from the approved list of foreign satellites/satellite systems, etc.

    According to Trai, DoT should also put in place a comprehensive, simplified, end-to-end coordinated, single window online common portal for all the agencies involved in the grant of various approvals/permissions etc, wherein the service licensees can place their request and the agencies respond online in a transparent and time-bound manner.

    Last September, the then chairman of Trai, R S Sharma, had also called for an urgent need to bring down the price of broadband services provided through satellites, asserting that its current high price could pose a challenge in its adoption in the country.

  • SC adjourns NTO 2.0 hearing to 18 August

    SC adjourns NTO 2.0 hearing to 18 August

    Mumbai: The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned the hearing in a matter pertaining to the New Tariff Order (NTO 2.0) to 18 August.

    Last month, The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) and several leading broadcasters had filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the Bombay high court verdict dated 30 June, which had upheld the constitutionality of the NTO 2.0. The amended NTO 2.0, passed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in January 2020, was challenged by broadcasters in the Bombay HC.

    After a legal tussle that lasted over a year, TRAI had managed to get a green signal from the court on 30 June on the implementation of the amended NTO 2.0. The division bench of the HC had stated that the challenge to the constitutional validity of the 2020 rules and regulations of TRAI does not hold any water. At the same time, it termed one of the twin conditions “arbitrary”, according to which the maximum retail price of an a-la-carte channel could not be more than one-third the maximum rate of a channel in the bouquet.

    The judgment was passed on the petitions filed by several broadcasters under the umbrella of the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) including ZEE Entertainment, Star India, TV18, and Sony Pictures Network India (SPN) who had challenged the NTO 2.0 terming it “arbitrary and in violation of their fundamental right”.

    The NTO 2.0 prescribed linkage between a-la-carte price and bouquet and reduced the price cap on the subscription fees for pay channels.

  • NTO 2.0 verdict: Who wins what?

    KOLKATA: One of the major issues that has dominated the pay TV ecosystem in India is in constant conflict between stakeholders and the sector regulator, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).  With the Bombay high court pronouncing its verdict on the amended new tariff order matter, one of the long-fought battles between the two may have come to an end. It upheld the constitutional validity of Trai’s NTO 2.0 but set aside the second clause of twin pricing conditions. The court’s decision is receiving mixed reviews from senior industry executives.

    On Wednesday, the division bench of Justices Amjad Sayyed and Anuja Prabhudessai passed judgement on several petitions filed by broadcasters and industry bodies like the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF). The bench stated that the challenge to the constitutional validity of the 2020 rules and regulations of Trai does not hold any water. At the same time, it termed one of the twin conditions arbitrary according to which the maximum retail price of an a-la-carte channel could not be more than one third of the maximum rate of a channel in the bouquet.

    “We welcome this verdict of the honourable Bombay high court on amendment in tariff regulation. The full implementation of the amendment will bring more transparency in industry and give more choices and power to the customer. We are hopeful that this will get implemented soon. It is good for all stakeholders in the industry value chain,” GTPL Hathway cable TV head & chief strategy officer Piyush Pankaj said.

    Others in the business are not so sure because they believe it will definitely lead to a decline in subscription revenues. Considerably, major broadcasters have not already witnessed a fall in subscription revenue after partial implementation of NTO 2.0.  But they fear that after this verdict, there will be a faster movement towards a-la-carte from bouquets thus leading to lower ARPUs.

    One of the senior executives with a leading broadcaster said squashing the second twin condition can be looked at as a big win for broadcasters. This clause had the potential to effectively hamper broadcasters from packaging their channels as they had to bundle similarly priced offerings together as part of the bouquet. 

    However, the grounds that it has been struck down on are not very solid, another senior executive added. This battle was unnecessary and a fight for power, he noted, especially given the cost. Moreover, very few broadcasters were looking at pushing high pricing for channels anyway. Even these broadcasters also cannot go for high pricing now due to changed market dynamics in the last one year due to pandemic. As Trai still has substantive grounds to reclaim whatever has been lost, they might look at rechallenging it, the executive noted.

    “We believe there is a high likelihood of this being contested in the supreme court by Trai as the entire reasoning of getting the NTO 2.0 was to cap discount and move to selective viewing which the NTO 1.0 did not fulfil,” Elara Capital VP research analyst (media) Karan Taurani said in a note.

    “We continue to believe that the negative impact of NTO 2.0 is highest for Star whose bouquet prices have a higher discount factor and lowest for Sun TV whose discounting of bouquet vs ala carte is already at very low levels, which will lead to continued outperformance for Sun TV on subs revenue front despite NTO 2.0. On the other hand, this order is low to moderately negative for Zee,” stated Taurani.

    Back in 2018, Madras high court had also set aside the capping of discounts to 15 per cent mentioned in the Tariff Order and Interconnection Regulations of 2017. However, the battle reached the supreme court where the regulator won the case. Within a year of implementation of the regulation, the authority brought changes which irked broadcasters starting the second battle. Now are we in for the third?

  • Reliance Jio tops net mobile user additions in March: TRAI

    New Delhi: Reliance Jio has gained over 79 lakh mobile users in March, securing a comfortable lead over rivals Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, according to the latest monthly data released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

    The Mukesh Ambani-led company took its customer base to about 42.29 crore. The net mobile user additions in March are double the number recorded in February when the company had added over 42 lakh users.

    On the other hand, Airtel’s user base rose to 35.23 crore with the addition of 40.5 lakh wireless users in March, while Vodafone Idea gained 10.8 lakh customers during March, compared to the previous month. The latter’s customer base has now grown to 28.37 crore, as of 31 March.

    According to the TRAI data for March, the number of telephone subscribers in India rose to 120 crore, thereby showing a monthly growth rate of 1.12 per cent. The monthly growth rates of urban and rural telephone subscriptions were 0.92 per cent and 1.37 per cent respectively as of 31 March.

    The total wireless subscribers increased to 118 crore at the end of March, recording a monthly growth rate of 1.13 per cent. Wireless subscriptions in urban areas increased to 64.5 crore at the end of March and that in rural areas rose to 53.5 crore during the same period. Monthly growth rates of urban and rural wireless subscriptions were 0.93 per cent and 1.38 per cent respectively.

    All service areas except Kerala showed growth in their wireless subscribers during the month of March-21. Mumbai area showed maximum growth of 2.93 per cent in its wireless subscriber base during the month.

    According to TRAI, the private access service providers held 89.6 per cent market share of the wireless subscribers while the two PSU access service providers BSNL and MTNL had a market share of only 10.32 per cent, as of 31 March.

    “As per the reports received from 421 operators in the month of March 2021, the number of broadband subscribers increased from 76.5 crore at the end of February 2021 to 77.8 crore at the end of March 2021 with a monthly growth rate of 1.70 per cent, “said the telecom regulator.

    The top five service providers constituted 98.82 per cent market share of the total broadband subscribers. Among these service providers were Reliance Jio (42.5 crore), Bharti Airtel (19.1 crore), Vodafone Idea (12.3 crore).

  • V Raghunandan roped in as new TRAI secretary

    New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Monday announced the appointment of V Raghunandan as the new secretary of the regulatory body.

    Raghunandan was working as a deputy director general at the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

    The decision comes after the current TRAI secretary Sunil Kumar Gupta’s two-month extension comes to an end. Gupta was appointed the TRAI secretary in September, 2018, post the retirement of Sudhir Gupta. His tenure was extended till 31 May.

    Gupta has now been appointed as a senior deputy director general at the office of director general – Telecom in the DoT. He will oversee all field units under the 22 Licensed Service Areas (LSA).

  • NBF members comply with new IT rules

    Kolkata : The News Broadcasters Federation has stated that all its current members duly complied with requirements of the 25 Feb issued Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“IT Rules, 2021”) by providing required information of their entities. Even actively prospective members have complied with the new rules before the due date, it said.

    The ministry of electronics and information  technology (MeitY) and ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) had asked for compliance status data of the new IT rules on 26 May from digital platforms of traditional news media companies, even allowing 15 days for due compliance.

    NBF affiliate news broadcasters,  both national and regional networks, provided information sought under IT Rules, 2021 even before the 10 June deadline. 

    With this, NBF has assumed the status of first industry organisation to quickly adopt the code, aimed at a “strong and robust self-regulatory mechanism” facing more accountability and transparency in audiovisual news streaming. 

    It has also endorsed the responsibility of accountable journalism expected from its member broadcasting companies,  and their digital outlets, who enjoy their all-pervading presence across languages, states and, through the length and breadth of India.

    The NBF self-regulatory authority is established as a unique content regulatory mechanism notwithstanding the platform delivering the information, to significantly large audiences in the country.

  • TRAI introduces new regulations for technical compliance of CAS & SMS

    KOLKATA: In a bid to put an end to content piracy in the pay TV ecosystem, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Friday amended the interconnection regulations 2017, incorporating a framework for technical compliance of CAS & SMS.

    The authority has been receiving several complaints about the unauthorized distribution of signals and under-declaration of subscribers by distribution platforms, despite the implementation of the new regulatory digitization of the cable TV industry.

    “Sub-standard CAS and SMS also render the distribution network vulnerable to hacking and content piracy,” it said in a statement.

    According to TRAI, the framework is the first step to define an indigenous set of specifications in the line of international standards. A tightly synchronised working of CAS and SMS, as specified by the framework, will enable factual reporting of subscriber base etc. Eventually, this will reduce the revenue loss to stakeholders on account of erroneous subscription reporting.  

    “Better assurance of due revenue, in turn, may encourage the stakeholders to invest for further improvement in quality of content and service thereby benefiting the end consumer,” TRAI noted. Moreover, it will also usher-in better content security in the distribution value chain.

    The authority came out with a consultation paper seeking views on standardization of these systems last April. It also held an open house discussion later. The comments of the stakeholders received by TRAI during the consultation process were analysed. In view of the technical nature of the matter, the Authority decided to form a committee of members across the industry, related institutions.

    The committee, after extensive deliberations, recommended introducing a testing and certification regime for CAS and SMS to ensure better conformity to the standards and to improve the customer experience.

    Distribution platform operators will now need to obtain certification for their CAS and SMS systems from the certification and testing agency. The framework will be implemented through a testing and certification agency.

  • TRAI extends deadline for submissions in satellite-based connectivity paper

    TRAI extends deadline for submissions in satellite-based connectivity paper

    New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has extended the deadline for stakeholders to submit their suggestions on satellite-based connectivity for low-bit rate applications to 23 April.

    The telecom regulator had floated a discussion paper on 12 March seeking views to make satellite communications more affordable in the country. It had also sought feedback on whether licensed national long distance (NLD) operators can be allowed to offer satellite services to connect the new wave of Internet of things (IoT) devices, and if only some frequency bands should be available for such satellite-based IoT connectivity.

    TRAI seeks suggestions to make satellite broadband services affordable

    The low bit-rate applications (below 64 kbits per second) are sensor-based applications used in ATMs, traffic management, vehicle tracking, IoT devices. The written comments were invited from the stakeholders by 9 April and counter comments by 23 April.

    On Friday, TRAI announced that it has extended the deadline for submission of written comments and counter comments up to 23 April and 7 May respectively upon industry request. “No further requests for extension would be considered,” it stated in a press release.

    “With the evolution of satellite communication technologies, new types of applications based on low-bit-rate applications are emerging. Such applications require low cost, low power, and small size terminals that can effectively perform the task of signal transfer with a minimum loss,” TRAI highlighted in its paper, adding that there was also a need for a single-window clearance for all kinds of satellite-based processes.

    Among other issues, it also sought views on whether satellite service licensees should be allowed to obtain bandwidth from foreign satellites for providing IoT connectivity. It also invited suggestions on whether a new licensing framework should be proposed for the provision of satellite-based connectivity for low-bit-rate applications or the existing licensing framework may be suitably amended to include the provisioning of such connectivity.

    “Even though the cost of launching a satellite in India is the lowest globally, yet the licensing formalities, technical criteria, lack of ‘Open Skies Policy’ are significant barriers for the growth of satellite services in the country. The satellite services need to be made affordable for wider acceptability by price-sensitive Indian industry and end-users,” the telecom regulator had noted.

  • TRAI seeks suggestions to make satellite broadband services affordable

    TRAI seeks suggestions to make satellite broadband services affordable

    New Delhi: The cost of satellite broadband services continue to remain on the steeper end in the country, posing a major challenge to its wide adoption by the end users. The issue has been taken up by India’s telecom regulator, which is now looking for ways to drive down the rates of satellite broadband.

    The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has floated a discussion paper and sought views to make satellite communications more affordable in the country. The decision comes at a time when global communication companies, including Bharti Group and UK consortium led OneWeb and Elon Musk’s SpaceX Technologies have expressed their interest in entering India’s satellite internet space.

    “Satellite communication can provide coverage to the remotest and inaccessible areas of a geographically widespread country like India. With the evolution of satellite communication technologies, new types of applications based on low-bit-rate applications are emerging. Such applications require low cost, low power and small size terminals that can effectively perform the task of signal transfer with minimum loss,” TRAI stated in its paper.

    The telecom regulator emphasiaed upon creating an enabling environment to attract investment into the satellite communication space. It has also sought feedback on whether licensed national long distance (NLD) operators can be allowed to offer satellite services to connect the new wave of Internet of things (IoT) devices, and if only some frequency bands should be available for such satellite-based IoT connectivity.

    The written comments have been invited from the stakeholders by 9 April and counter comments by 23 April.

    The telecom regulator also noted that there are long delays reported in procurement of satellite bandwidth through the current processes due to the involvement of multiple agencies for seeking various clearances and approvals. “To attract investment and new players in a sector, the most important characteristic is the ‘ease of doing business’,” stated TRAI, adding that there is need for a single window clearance for all kinds of satellite-based processes.

    Among other issues, it has also sought views on whether satellite service licensees should be allowed to obtain bandwidth from foreign satellites for providing IoT connectivity. Also, whether any specific or all bands should be permitted for provisioning satellite-based IoT connectivity. It also invited suggestions on whether a new licensing framework should be proposed for the provision of satellite-based connectivity for low-bit-rate applications or the existing licensing framework may be suitably amended to include the provisioning of such connectivity.

    “In spite of the fact that cost of launching a satellite in India is the lowest globally, yet the licensing formalities, technical criteria, lack of ‘Open Skies Policy’ are significant barriers for the growth of satellite services in the country. The satellite services need to be made affordable for wider acceptability by price sensitive Indian industry and end-users,” noted the telecom regulator.

    Last September, the then chairman of TRAI, R S Sharma, had also called for an urgent need to bring down the price of broadband services provided through satellites, asserting that its current high price could pose a challenge in its adoption in the country. 

    “There’s an urgent need to liberalise the satcom policy to boost satellite-based broadband penetration in rural, remote and hilly regions that remain largely unconnected by mobile and terrestrial communication networks, given the big global advances in satellite technologies,” Sharma had said, highlighting the need to align the satcom policy with emerging requirements of 5G and IoT.

  • Delhi HC issues notice to Centre on plea challenging new IT rules

    Delhi HC issues notice to Centre on plea challenging new IT rules

    KOLKATA: The Delhi high court on Tuesday issued notice to the central government in a plea challenging the new rules framed under Information Technology (guidelines for intermediaries and digital media ethics code) Rules 2021.

    A division bench headed by chief justice DN Patel was hearing the petition which has been filed by the Foundation of Independent Journalism (the non-profit company that publishes The Wire). It has sought a response from the ministry of electronics and information technology in the matter and given them time to submit the same.

    The counsel for the petitioners, senior lawyer Nitya Ramakrishnan, stated that the rules have put an additional regulatory burden on news media and current affairs.

    “They cannot place a whole regulatory burden under Section 69A on news and current affairs agencies. 69A only provides for issuing directions to intermediaries,” she argued as quoted in media reports.

    The petition argued that the new IT Rules issued on February 25, 2021, were “palpably illegal” in seeking to control and regulate digital news media when the parent statute nowhere provided for such a remit.

    “The IT Rules, 2021, expand the scope of the Act even further by providing for a Code of Ethics and a three-tier regulatory system to administer a loose-ranging Code of Ethics, that contains wide and vague terms as ‘half-truths’, ‘good taste’, ‘decency’,” the petition said.

    The plea also contended that the oversight mechanism and the inter-departmental committee set up under the new rules would have the power to recommend "draconian measures such as ordering the deletion, modification of content or blocking the same."

    The matter will be heard next on 16 April.

    Several journalists, lawyers and activists have decried the rules as an attempt to muzzle freedom of press by laying the ground for tightening executive control over digital media. The Editors Guild of India last week demanded the repeal of these rules.

    The government laid down new guidelines for social media platforms on 25 February, making a distinction between social media intermediaries and significant social media intermediaries. In a gazette notification, it also specified five million registered users in India as the threshold for significant social media intermediaries.