New Delhi, 09 September 2012: Prepaid mobile customers
will not have international calling facilities, soon, unless they make a
request for availing such a benefit. As per the Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India (TRAI) latest direction to telecom companies, if
pre-paid customers wanted the ISD facilities then they should give
explicit consent for availing them.
“Inform all pre-paid subscribers having ISD facility, through SMS,
within 10 days of the date of issue of this direction, that ISD facility
of the subscribers shall be discontinued after sixty days,” Trai said
in its directive. “If such subscribers want to continue with ISD
facility, they should give their explicit consent for availing such
facility within 60 days of the receipt of the SMS," it added.
The regulator’s direction came following complaints from consumers
about missed calls from international telephone numbers, which are often
premium numbers charging high tariff, prompting the consumers to make
call to such numbers.
“These numbers are international numbers, which are often premium
numbers charging higher tariffs. By responding to such calls/SMS the
consumers have to pay unintended charges,” Trai said. The regulator also
asked service providers to send such SMS to consumers every six months
and provide easy facility to the consumers for activation or
deactivation of ISD facility.
Currently, international long distance calling facility is given to all
pre-paid users by default. The service is disconnected only if the
subscribers make a request. But now the TRAI said the ISD service will
be made available only to those who ask for it. It also directed to
discontinue ISD services of all pre-paid subscribers who have not given
consent. - UT
