New Delhi: Among the infrastructure constraints that hobble the telecom industry in India, one that could surprise the common man is one to conjure up new phone numbers. With an explosion of new technologies, usages and new subscribers, the Department of Telecom (DoT), the custodian of telecom infrastructure in India is at its wit’s end on how to constantly generate new phone numbers.
To come up with a long-term solution, telecom regulator TRAI has floated a consultation paper ‘Revision of National Numbering Plan’ to brainstorm about new number series.
The current challenge
According to current practice, mobile numbers carry 10 digits and these begin with 9,8,7 or 6. There are a series of numbers and short codes for trunk, emergency, toll-free and machine-to-machine communication.
It has to be noted that the National Numbering Plan 2003 estimated a demand of 75 crore telephone connections while the number of telephone connections stood at 118.11 crore in September 2023. At the end of FY24, the number of mobile subscribers alone stood at 119 crore.
Over the past few years, there has been a rush of new services such as 5G, machine-to-machine (M2M) communications and internet of things (IoT). These all require new numbers making the crunch acute.
“In recent years, availability of numbering resources is facing challenges due to the significant expansion of services and substantial increase in number of connections in both fixed line as well as in mobile segment. With a current total of 1199.3 million telephone subscribers and teledensity of 85.7 per cent as of end of March 2024, there is a need to carefully examine utilisation of numbering resources and implement judicious policy decisions to ensure an adequate reservoir for the sustainable growth of telecommunication services,” the regulator wrote in the consultation paper.
Trai data reveal that though there are 254 crore mobile numbers available with different telecom companies, till October 2023, 115 crore numbers were allocated to subscribers. Of the numbers added, 21.9 crore are suspended pending disconnection.
TRAI is also thinking of whether it could penalise telecom companies for hoarding phone numbers. This also includes levying a penal charge. Right now, there is no definition for ‘inactive connections’ for fixed-line services and only non-active mobile subscribers can be disconnected.
Are charges on the way?
TRAI has described a phone number as a valuable and finite public resource. “One way of ensuring judicious and efficient use of any finite public resource is by imposing charges while allocating it,” it said in the paper. However, there is a flip side. If penal charges are indeed levied, a telecom company can quietly pass them on to the customers with the end result that subscribers will be penalised for no fault of theirs.
However, there is a legal provision for charging telcos. The Telecommunications Act, 2023 says “the Central Government may, subject to such terms and conditions, including fees or charges as may be prescribed, allot TIs for use by authorised entities.”
TRAI is at its wit’s end on how to generate new phone numbers and has floated a paper seeking ideas from the public. Biz News Business News – Personal Finance News, Share Market News, BSE/NSE News, Stock Exchange News Today
