Calling Party Pays: let the subscriber decide

NEW DELHI, August 27: DoT's notification,

as reported in the press, that only a PSTN phone with STD facility can be

used to call a subscriber is something that needs to be looked

into. As per the DoT justification, mobile access to all phones will lead

to a heavy increase in the cost for it will require an extensive

upgradation in the billing systems of all the exchanges to generate

detailed bills for even non-STD subscribers. Besides, there will be heavy

abuse of landlines, especially as mobile users will prefer receiving calls

from fixed-line networks, as the same would be free.

Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) vice

chairman T.V. Ramachandran termed the move of DoT as unfortunate for it

will bar a large number of PSTN subscribers from accessing cellphone

subscribers. For, without STD facility, as many as 60 per cent of the

total DoT subscribers would not be able to call a cellphone subscriber.

On the other hand, clarifying the situation, TRAI

sources said that a consultation paper on the CPP (calling party pays)

will be out on September 1. And hopefully it should be able to address

this problem. Meanwhile, responding to whether TRAI will take any

initiative to resolve the issue on its own, the sources said that, by and

large CPP is an interconnection issue. So it needs to be resolved mutually

between cellphone operators and the DoT. Whether these operators wish to

approach DoT on their own or they come to TRAI for mediation will depend

on them.

The operators will be given two months time (till

November 1) to resolve the issue before CPP gets implemented on November

1. However, sources maintained that it was desired of DoT that the service

should be provided to as many as possible, if not to everybody. "In

fact, we have proposed that besides phones with STD facility (0-dialling),

cellphone access should also be allowed to phones with 90 and 91 dialling,"

says the source. Another option to resolve the issue is to ask the PSTN

subscribers whether they would like to have cellphone access facility for

which there will be different (more) tariff. (For instance, a call to

cellphone will attract a tariff of Rs 3.60-3.90 per minute.) This is what

is being planned by MTNL.

It's true that there will be many subscribers who would

not want cellphone access, at least at such premium. But still, instead of

restricting them, the facility on its own would be another example of

DoT's monopolistic mindset. It would be advisable to let the ball be in

subscriber's court for them to decide and then implement it.