TRAI's new Do Not Call law

From next month TRAI will be making the mobile operators responsible for allowing unwanted calls and text messages that have been drowning mobile-phone users. TRAI will also levy heavy fines on telecom companies that allow calls to be made to people on Do Not Call list.

The biggest change to current law will hold carriers responsible when telemarketers contact people on the Do Not Call registry. Under the new law carriers will face a fine of $2,200 for the first offense; $11,000 for the second offense; and $22,000 for each subsequent offense. The new rules were announced Dec. 1, yet enforcement has been delayed while officials and the industry worked out a key provision that lets subscribers know when a call or text message is from a telemarketer.

Under the provision, telemarketers' phone numbers must start by the numbers "140" on caller-ID screens and commercial text messages must have standard headers that will identify them.

Users data lost after fire, Govt gets tough

The central security agencies have taken serious note of nearly 1.2 crore SIM cards belonging to Idea Cellular being lost in a fire, terming it as a "security lapse", and worked out fresh guidelines for telecom operators for maintaining records.

In a report, the central security agencies said inquires into the fire incident at Jyoti Warehouse in Ahmedabad, where nearly two crore Consumer Application Forms (CAFs) of Idea Cellular were stored.

The warehouse had CAFs from 1996 onwards when it caught fire in February this year, but only 80 lakh forms had been scanned.

"The incident not only highlights the fact that important data has been completely lost, but also underscores the slow rate at which the digitisation of subscriber data was being carried out," the report said.

Telecom service providers have now been asked to ensure quick and time bound scanning of all CAFs, proper duplication of records with a mirror image in the archives, the stores where the CAF have been kept should have fire proof arrangements and secure from other hazards.

Idea, BSNL have the highest call drop complaints

Despite massive campaigns promising respite from call drops and superior network, telecom service provider Idea Cellular is one among the few operators who are facing the problem of frequent call drops.

According to the parameters laid down the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), a telecom network is considered as "worst affected cells" if more than 3 per cent of phone calls are not complete.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Etisalat are other two companies which fall in this category. From my personal experience I can say that calling from BSNL is a nightmare, as there are frequent dropped calls. Mobile number portability can rescue many people from these cell phone operators who don't want to change their number.