Telecom regulator amends value added services rules
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New Delhi: India's telecom regulator Friday made it mandatory for operators to twice seek confirmation from cell phone users before they subscribe to value-added services (VAS). Under the amended rules, subscribers will be required to first confirm their subscription by pressing any cell phone key other than '*' (star) or '9'. The second time, the subscriber will have to reconfirm the VAS subscription by pressing either '*' or '9', the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said in a statement. "TRAI considered the matter, and worked out a solution which shall address the concern of the industry as well as protect the interest of consumers about ease of subscription to value added services and prevention of unintentional or accidental activation of value added service," it said. The amendment also mandates service providers to intimate the subscriber, at least three days before the due date of renewal of a subscribed value added service, the due date for renewal, the charges for renewal, and the toll-free telephone number for un-subscribing such value added service. TRAI April 27 had directed operators to seek written consent from subscribers to VAS such as call ring back tone and hello tunes to prevent accidental activation of such services. However, industry associations and operators such as the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India (AUSPI) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam, told TRAI that the directive could slow the growth of VAS on account of the multi-stage activation process.
Source: IANS
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