The regulation that mobile phone users be paid a compensation of Rs. 1 for every call dropped, up to a maximum of three calls a day, will come into effect on January 1, TRAI chairman R.S. Sharma said.
“Call drops are an issue on which we have issued regulations. They will come into effect from tomorrow...Operators have gone to court. The Delhi High Court has not granted a stay,” he told The Hindu.
At the hearing on December 22, the Delhi High Court asked the regulator not to take any coercive action against operators till the next hearing on January 6. An industry expert said this meant that till the next hearing, operators could offer compensation to users on a voluntary basis.
Rajan Mathews, Director-General of the Cellular Operators Association of India, told The Hindu that operators would most likely wait for the hearing and order of the court before deciding when and how to implement the regulation.
“There are several challenges to implementing the TRAI order which we have brought to the attention of the court. The TRAI has been advised by the court not to take any coercive action until it hears the case on January 6,” Mr. Mathews said.
