Now, telecom companies do not have to charge minimum 50 paise for SMSes beyond 100 per day

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday removed a specific provision that required telecom operators to charge at least 50 paise per SMS for text messages exceeding 100 on a single connection per day, taking into account the interest of “genuine non-commercial bulk users“.

This means operators will have a free hand in fixing charges for such bulk SMSes by non-commercial users, and TRAI’s practice of forbearance will extend to such messages too, an official explained.

The amendment, removing a specific provision in the telecom tariff order, came after an elaborate consultation process, that saw the TRAI organising its first-ever ‘Open House Discussion’ (OHD) entirely through the videoconferencing mode to seek stakeholders’ response after a round of comments and counter-comments.