[1]New Delhi: In a consumer friendly move, telecom regulator Trai on Wednesday made it difficult for telecom operators to automatically activate value added services (VAS) on a subscriber’s number without his/her proper consent.
Consumers have been complaining that telecom operators activate VAS-like ring back tunes, astrology or some friendship service among others— on their numbers without their consent and then charge them exorbitant amounts. As per Trai order, a telecom operator can activate a VAS on a number only after obtaining a second confirmation from the customer.
“A second confirmation from the customer is through a dedicated consent gateway which is owned by a third party and not by the service provider. It is only after receiving a second confirmation from the customer, that the service provider shall activate the value added service,” said Trai. In case of wrong activation, the amount will have to be refunded within 24 hours of the customer’s request.
M&A details by July-end
Telecom minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday indicated that mergers and acquisitions guidelines which are expected to pave the way for consolidation in the telecom sector would be announced by the end of July.
According to analysts the present merger and acquisition rules are complex. There have been reports of operators looking to consolidate but have been waiting for the new guideline to be announced.
Amid rising instances of adult content freely available on applications supported by Android phones, Sibal sought suggestions from the media to deal with the issue. “I want you people to suggest how can we close it,” he said.
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