: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) which has been debating the hot issue of Net Neutrality for nearly two years, said in its recommendations to the telecom department to amend license terms to prevent any kind of discrimination on internet services based on content, apps or any other service or data that travels on the internet.

Some major points in the telecom regulator’s Net Neutrality recommendations

1) Trai issues recommendations on net neutrality.

2) Trai backs net neutrality, free and open internet.

3) Trai allows carriers or internet access providers to use some traffic management practices (TMPs) as long as they’re transparent and their impact on users is declared.

4) Trai recommends amendment of license terms to incorporate principles of non-discriminatory treatment of content.

5) Trai recommends restricting any form of discrimination or interference in the treatment of content, including practices like blocking, degrading, slowing down or granting preferential speeds or treatment to any content.

6) Trai says discriminatory treatment based on the sender or receiver, the network protocols, or the user equipment will not be allowed.

7) Trai exempts specialised services – those other than internet access services – have been exempted from principles of discriminatory treatment.

8) Trai asks DoT to define the specialised services.

9) Trai also exempts content delivery networks – used by telco to deliver content within its own network – from from principles of discriminatory treatment.

10) Trai allows internet access service providers to take reasonable measures for traffic management, provided they’re proportionate, transient and transparent.

11) Trai allows for reasonable measures to preserve integrity and security of network, for provision of emergency services, a court order or government direction.

12) Trai recommends telcos to declare their traffic management practices as and when deployed, and their impact on users.

13) Trai recommends disclosures by telcos about specialised services, direct or indirect arrangements they enter into.

14) Trai suggests DoT to set up a multi-stakeholder body for monitoring and investigation of violations

(Source: Economic Times)

The 3rd District Conference of Meghalaya  has been held befittigly at Shillong on 22-11-2017. After the flag hoisting the open session was inaugurated by Com.Gopal Das, Circle Secretary, NE-I. He gave a good account of developments in the recent past including NCCPA Dharna held at New Delhi on 25-10-2017 and AIBDPA agitational program. Participating as Chief Guest, Com.Shivjee Ray, Circle Secretary spoke in detail about the united struggle being waged by All Unions and Associations for wage revision and against formation of separate tower company. The subject committee discussed the issues seriously and decided to conduct the Mass Dharna with maximum partcipation on 11-12-2017 and  extend wholehearted support to the BSNL Strike on 12-13, December, 2017.

Office bearers were unanimously elected with Coms.Gopal Das (President), B.C.Dey (District Secretary) and T.K.Das (Treasurer)

Com.R.K.Kohli, veteran leader of Telecom Trade union movement and a long time Treasurer of the erstwhile AITEEU Cl III passed away at 9 AM on 26-11-2017 in New Delhi. He was 80 and  ailing for some time, He was a Life Member of AIBDPA and was appreciative of its functioning.

AIBDPA pays respectful homage to Com.R.K.Kohli and conveys deep condolences to the bereaced family.

DPE guidelines on wage policy for the 8th round of wage negotiations for workmen in Central Public Sector Enterprises(CPSEs).<<<click here>>>

Veteran leader and AIBDPA Advisor, Com.V.A.N.Namboodiri has been elected President of Senior Citizen Friends Welfare Association, a major and prominent organisation of elders in Kerala. The two days Annual Conference of this organisation was held at Kozhikode on 23-24, November, 2017. Com.Amaravila Ramakrishnan Nair is the General Secretary and Com.P.V.Chandrasekharan , Patron, AIBDPA is functioning as one of the Vice Presidents.

CHQ heartily congratulate Com.V.A.N.Namboodiri and wish him all success in the new venture.

Jio Added 5.9 Million Users in September, but India’s Telecom Subscriber Base Declined by 2.9 Million 
Gadgets 360 Staff, 23 November 2017
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Jio Added 5.9 Million Users in September, but India’s Telecom Subscriber Base Declined by 2.9 Million
HIGHLIGHTS
Most of the churn was in urban wireless connections
Airtel, Vodafone and Idea are the country’s biggest telecom operators
Reliance Jio’s total user base was at 138.6 million in September
Even as Reliance Jio subscriber base increased by nearly 6 million in September 2017, the country’s overall telecom user base dipped by 2.9 million. According to data released by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the churn can be attributed to the 2.38 million wireless connections in urban areas going off the grid. It should also be pointed out that there were several thousand disconnections in rural wireless and wireline networks. In fact, there were only three operators that added subscribers in September across India – Jio, BSNL and Airtel.

The TRAI data shows there were 40,000 urban wireline disconnections, and 420,000 and 30,000 disconnections in rural wireless and wireline networks, respectively. The country’s total subscriber base as of September 2017 stands at 1.206 billion, with 1.183 billion wireless subscribers and 23.67 million wireline consumers. There were 5.49 million MNP (mobile number portability) requests across the country, and the total number of requests has finally crossed 300 million since the facility was rolled out in in 2010.

Airtel is the country’s largest mobile service provider with 282.02 million users and 23.84 percent market share, followed by Vodafone (207.37 million, 17.53 percent) and Idea Cellular (190.1 million, 16.07 percent). On the fourth and fifth positions are Jio and BSNL with 138.6 million and 11.72 percent share, and 105.76 million users and 8.94 percent share, respectively.

As for wireline subscriber base, there was a net decline of 0.10 million users in September, going down from 23.77 million to 23.67 million. BSNL is the market leader in wireline telecom segment with 54.06 percent market share. It is followed by Airtel (16.49 percent) and MTNL (14.38 percent).

Coming to broadband Internet access – which TRAI defines as wireless and wireline networks delivering speeds of 512kbps or above – 324.89 million people in the country had access to high-speed Internet in September. This represents a 2.66 percent increase in the same figure in the preceding month, up from 316.48 million. Of this 324.89 million, 306.39 million used broadband speeds on mobile devices (phones and dongles). On the back of its 4G-only network, Reliance Jio is the market leader in delivering broadband speeds and accounts for 138.6 million of these users and 42.67 percent market share. Airtel (62.29 million, 19.17 percent), Vodafone (45.98 million, 14.15 percent) and Idea (29.61 million, 9.12 percent) take the next three spots in this ranking.

JAIPUR- COM.K.P.SHARMA, CHQ VICE PRESIDENT ADDRESSING.