TRAI issues draft amendments to Telecommunication Tariff Order and Accounting Separation Regulations

New Delhi [India] October 16 (ANI): The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Thursday released draft amendments to the Telecommunication Tariff Order, 1999 and the Reporting System on Accounting Separation Regulations, 2016, aimed at strengthening compliance and ensuring transparency in the telecom sector.

The purpose of the Regulation is to ensure that telecom service providers report to TRAI on a consistent and accurate basis.

The draft notifications include the Telecommunication Tariff (Seventy Second Amendment) Order, 2025 and the Reporting System on Accounting Separation (Amendment) Regulations, 2025.

TRAI said the proposed changes introduce provisions for imposing financial disincentives in a graded manner to ensure regulatory compliance. The amendments also propose revising the ceiling amount of such disincentives and introducing interest charges for delayed or non-payment of penalties.

"The proposed amendments contain provisions for imposing the financial disincentives (i) in a graded manner to ensure compliance with regulatory provisions; (ii) revision in amount of financial disincentive prescribing a ceiling on the total financial disincentive amount; (iii) imposition of interest on delayed/non-payments of financial disincentives." says TRAI statement

The proposed amendment says that TRAI will not issue any financial disincentive without giving reasonable opportunity of representation to the service provider. "No order for payment of any amount by way of financial disincentive under this regulation shall be made by the Authority, unless the service provider has been given a reasonable opportunity of representing against the contravention of the regulations observed by the Authority." noted the draft amendment.

The proposal also suggests that TRAI reserves the right of not imposing any penalty or financial disincentive under this regulation "The Authority reserves the right not to impose any financial disincentive, or to impose a lower amount of financial disincentive than the amount payable under the provisions of this regulation, where it finds merit in the reasons furnished by the service provider or in the interest of regulatory compliance." the proposal suggests.

The draft amendments have been uploaded on TRAI's website www.trai.gov.in for public consultation and stakeholders responses. Stakeholders have been invited to submit their written comments by October 31, 2025, to, TRAI, via email at fa@trai.gov.in (ANI)

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