TRAI directed GSM players for interconnection with RCOM (India)Interconnection for Anil Ambani’s Reliance Communication’s GSM network will be provided by GSM operators including Bharti, Idea, BSNL and Vodafone as directed by TRAI. “Report the compliance within seven days of the date of issue of this direction that is latest by the 21st August, 2008, TRAI said in separate direction to all these players. These directions are applicable to Spice Communications also. Twice the issue has been raised with the GSM players which have refused interconnection with the RCOM group. GSM players said that for providing interconnection to a new network, RCom had to negotiate fresh commercial terms. The existing interconnect agreement with Reliance was limited to providing links for its CDMA network.
TRAI has rejected this contention saying the case for renegotiating comemrcial terms is devoid of merit.
“This is not tenable as the DoT’s instruction dated the 24th March, 2008 for opening of allotted codes and and TRAI’s direction of 6th January, 2005 are not subordinate to or conditioned by negotiations between the service providers”, the regulator said. It also declines the GSM players argument that new points of interconnection will have to be created once Reliance Communications Ltd’s network is established saying the Licensor (DoT) has issued instruction to all service providers for opening the codes. Once instruction has been issued by the DoT then there is no reason for any service provider to disobey the instruction issued by the licensor.
