New Delhi, Nov 20: In a bid to ensure timely implementation of its revised Interconnection Usage Charge (IUC) regime scheduled to come into effect from December 1, telecom regulator Trai today held a meeting with all telecom players to review their preparations in this regard. The meeting, chaired by Trai member D P S Seth, was attended by the two state-owned telecom corporations, BSNL and MTNL, and also private sector companies including Reliance, Bharti, Tatas, BPL, Data Access, VSNL and Shyam, sources said. During the meeting some operators expressed apprehensions regarding issues such as commercial settlement of revenue between two players after IUC regime comes into effect, sources said, adding that most of the operators ruled out any technical hassle in implementing the regime. Long distance service provider data access is believed to have sought quarterly settlement of charges, saying it would require at least three months to settle access deficit charge - to be paid by each operator to BSNL in lieu of the latter's rural obligations. Trai last month announced its revised IUC regime claiming the it would pave the way for players to reduce tariffs in all segments of telecom services, even as cellular operators had indicated that the long distance charges may go up as a result of the new regime.
Bureau Report