TRAI issues “The Telecommunication Interconnection (Amendment) Regulations, 2018”

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued The Telecommunication Interconnection (Amendment) Regulations, 2018, which prescribes amendment in Regulations 6, 8, and 9 of the Telecommunication Interconnection Regulations, 2018 issued by TRAI on January 1, 2018.

The main amendments in the Regulations are as follows:

a) A service provider may request the other service provider for additional ports at a POI, if the projected utilization of the capacity of such POI at the end of 60 days from the date of placing the request, is likely to be more than 85 percent and such projected utilization of the capacity of POI shall be determined on the basis of the daily traffic for the preceding 60 days at the POI during busy hour: Provided that the service provider shall request for such number of additional ports which is likely to bring the utilization of the capacity of such POI, at the end of 60 days from the date of making request, to less than 75 percent.

b) The time-frame for provisioning of ports for initial interconnection and augmentation of ports at POls is increased to 42 working days.

c) Every service provider shall provide to the interconnecting service provider, at interval of every 6 months, its forecast of busy hour outgoing traffic, for the succeeding 6 months, at each POI and the first such forecast shall be provided within 60 days of the commencement of the Telecommunication Interconnection (Amendment) Regulations, 2018 and thereafter on the April 1 and October 1 every year.

– Communications Today Bureau