Trai’s rethink to scrap IUC will sabotage PM’s Digital India mission: Reliance Jio

New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (Trai) rethink to scrap interconnect usage charges is unwarranted, arbitrary and anti-poor and not only affects the credibility of the authority but also sabotages the government’s Digital India mission, Reliance Jio has alleged.

In a letter written to Trai, the telecom operator said that if the authority does not scrap IUC, there will be little incentive for mobile service providers to invest in technology migration as long as the returns are assured to them in the form of this subsidy.

“The consultation paper aids and abets sabotage of the Prime Minister’s Digital India mission because it protects and perpetuates the vested interests of certain incumbent telecom operators who do want their large body of 2G customers to forever remain digitally disempowered and deprived of the fruits of the Digital Revolution,” Jio said in the letter dated 18 October.