Telecom operators have to maintain VAS-related records from July 10: TRAI

Telecom operators will have to maintian records related to subscription of value-added services from July 10, sectoral regulator TRAI said Wednesday

"As on July 10, the new regime will come in to force and in that regime we will have mechanism to verify if value-added services (VAS) were wrongly activated. The existing regime already allows easy exit but what it does not allow is re-confirmation of entry it will be now technicaly possible," TRAI Chairman Rahul Khullar said here.

He added that regulator wanted to ensure the technical solution is put in place so that it can independently audit facts related to activation of VAS.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has put rules in place to ensure that no VAS on a mobile phone number is activated without permission of customers.

The rules were put in place after regulator came across several complaints against telecom operator for activating VAS without their opting for it and then charging for it.

In case a VAS has been wrongly activated on a mobile number, then the customer can register complaint and deactivate service by dialing 155223 which is common number for all operators.

Khullar said that the current mechanism effective from February 1, 2013 allows customer to exit from VAS activated on their number and the new addition will allow TRAI to verify complaints made by customers.

"Earlier the software (to activate) VAS was outsourced in the hand of guy who had conflict of interest and basically he was trying to force VAS on anybody. Now this will be available in-house with TSP (Telecom Service Providers) which we can audit anytime," he said.