Trai cracks down on telcos, issues stringent quality of service rules from 1 October

In a significant move to enhance mobile and broadband services in India, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has issued new quality of service (QoS) regulations, mandating telecom service providers to ensure better network performance and transparency.

Penalties for non-compliance of each QoS benchmark starts at ₹1 lakh. A second offence raises the fine to a maximum of ₹2 lakh, while for subsequent offences it will be at ₹3 lakh per benchmark. 

Submitting false compliance reports will incur fines of up to ₹2 lakh per benchmark, ₹5 lakh for a second instance, and ₹10 lakh for subsequent instances.

Telcos failing to submit compliance reports will be fined up to ₹5,000 per day, with a maximum penalty of ₹10 lakh.

The regulations also mandated compensation for subscribers during network outages exceeding 24 hours, wherein postpaid customers will receive a rental rebate, while prepaid customers will get extended validity days.

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The new regulations, called Standards of Quality of Service of Access (Wireline and Wireless) and Broadband (Wireline and Wireless) Service Regulations, 2024, will take effect on 1 October, replacing the decade-old QoS regulations.

“To account for quality aspects arising out of large-scale penetration of new and emerging technologies such as 4G and 5G, and high-speed broadband services on fiber, the authority decided to carry out an extensive review of the existing regulations and put forward a comprehensive regulatory framework which encompasses QoS benchmarks for all three services at one place,” Trai said.

The new regulations mandated telcos to publish detailed mobile coverage maps, showing 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G coverage on their websites, allowing consumers to make informed network choices. Additionally, they must regularly disclose QoS performance metrics online.

Trai also introduced granular data metrics, including latency, jitter, packet drop rate, and network availability, which will now be monitored on a monthly basis instead of quarterly. This will enable faster identification and resolution of network issues. Telcos will have six months to transition to monthly reporting.

The regulator will also collect performance metrics such as network availability, call drop rate, and latency at the cell level, providing insights into areas with poor service quality.

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It has also tightened benchmarks for various parameters, which telcos will need to implement within a timeframe of six months to two-and-a-half years. This sets a clear roadmap for service providers to upgrade their networks.

A major change in the measurement methodology is the shift from average to percentile-based calculation for key parameters such as packet drop rate, latency, and download or upload speed. According to Trai, this adjustment will help identify areas of poor performance and enable targeted corrective actions.

The new regulations also introduced new monitoring parameters, including significant network outages, jitter, maximum bandwidth utilization, and SMS delivery success rate. 

Additionally, some outdated parameters have been removed to streamline the process.

Trai said to ensure continuous improvement, service providers must adopt a Six Sigma Quality Management Plan, which will help identify and eliminate quality issues proactively.

Industry insiders said while the new norms will benefit consumers, they are likely to significantly increase the compliance burden on telcos.