Mumbai, June 13: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has made a new announcement through its press release. It proposed that the users would have to pay charges for using two SIM cards on a single smartphone. Last week, TRAI posted on X about its press release titled "Consultation Paper on Revision of National Numbering Plan."

According to reports, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India proposed the introduction of new fees for mobile and landline numbers. The reports said the phone numbers represented a valuable yet public resource. They mentioned that the proposal suggested that the mobile operators might face charges for the mobile numbers passed onto the customers. Employment News: Two Lakh Jobs Likely To Be Generated in India Due to Expected Rs 4 Lakh Crore Investments in PLI Schemes Announced Under Leadership of PM Narendra Modi.

In its official "Press Release No. 27," TRAI posted that telecommunication in India had been undergoing a significant transformation driven by the latest network architectures and services. The authority said that the 5G network had introduced a wide range of possibilities for calling, data transfer, and more.

TRAI To Impose Penalty for Inactive SIM Card

According to reports, TRAI mentioned that, similar to the spectrum allocation, the government controlled the numbering space. Mobile operators have the right to use these numbering spaces during their license periods. However, per a new law passed in December for the telecom sector, charges will be applied to the numbers, known as 'telecom identifiers'. 

The reports mentioned that many countries already imposed fees on phone numbers, and similar action is to be taken by TRAI. This allows the telecom authority to manage India's numbering resources more effectively. The government of India could follow different methods to impose these charges, including a one-time fee on a number, an annual recurring fee on each numbering resource, or a centralised auction for VIP numbers. The reports mentioned that the country had been facing a scarcity of the numbers. Oracle To Train 2 Lakh Students in India in Cloud, AI, Data Science and Other Emerging Technology.

The charges will be applicable for  users who use two SIM cards, particularly if one of them is used less frequently. The number which is not used often will be charged by TRAI, while the active phone number will remain unaffected. This clarification aims to help the audience understand the specific impact of the charges on their usage patterns.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 13, 2024 05:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).