Trai likely to defer zero-IUC regime for a year, says source

The telecom regulator is likely to defer by a year implementation of the zero-interconnect usage charges (IUC) regime that was slated to kick in from January 2020, a person familiar with the matter said.

“The new direction on IUC is likely to be issued later in the day (Tuesday),” a person familiar with the matter said.

Vodafone Idea and Bharti AirtelNSE -0.63 % had backed postponing implementation of the zero-IUC regime, as they are net revenue earners. Reliance Jio, which is a net payer, had opposed any deferral.

The telecom regulator in September had issued a discussion paper on deferring the implementation of the zero-interconnect usage charges (IUC) regime, saying that consumers are yet to migrate completely to data calls and that the imbalance in voice traffic between operators still exists.