TRAI Notifies Telecom Operators To Provide 30 Seconds Ring Time

TRAI has made it mandatory for telecom providers to let the phone call ring for 30 seconds on mobiles, in case the call is not answered or rejected by the subscriber. Landline phone calls require 60 seconds of ring time, TRAI notes.

TRAI Sets Ring Time

TRAI has set new rules for the phone call ring time. Till now, there were no such limits for calls in India. "The time duration of alert for an incoming voice call, which is neither answered nor rejected by the called party, shall be thirty seconds for Cellular Mobile Telephone Service," the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

The new regulation raises the question of why a time limit for a phone ring is required. It started when Reliance Jio accused other telecom operators like Vodafone Idea, Bharati Airtel and others of 'illegally' concealing wire-line numbers as mobile numbers.

However, Airtel argues that Reliance Jio was deviating and misguiding from TRAI ahead of the consultation regarding call connect charges or the interconnect usage charges. It was believed that telecom operators were reducing the incoming call ring time to gain call-backs from subscribers of other network providers.

TRAI's new regulation is centered around the interconnect usage charges (IUC). Airtel alleged that Jio cut short the call ring time to maneuver its IUC, where shorter ring times meant a greater number of missed calls and more return calls to the Reliance Jio network, Airtel alleged.

In its defense, Jio said that a call ring time of 15-20 seconds is followed universally. The network wars further escalated when Jio said that other operators were manipulating the IUC regime by charging 2G/3G users with a higher tariff, where users couldn't move to 4G without a compatible device.

Now, TRAI has rested all arguments by introducing a ring time frame for every phone call. TRAI notes that the new regulation would be effective "after 15 days from the date of publication in the Official Gazette," IANS reports.