New Delhi: In a boost to telecom operators providing Internet protocol-based services such as 4G, the department of telecom (DoT) has allowed interconnection among such networks of service providers.
The DoT has amended the Unified Access Service (UAS) licence agreement, inserting a provision for Internet protocol to allow interconnection of IP-based networks.
“Interconnection bet-ween the networks of different licences for carrying circuit switched traffic shall be as per national standards ... and for carrying IP-based traffic as per Telecom Engineering Centre standards as amended from time to time by TEC and also subject to technical feasibility...” says the amendment.
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said with the amendment telecom players cannot deny interconnection to other telecom operator having IP-based network.
“All operators have their core networks built on IP. With this provision coming in place, now telecom operators cannot deny interconnection to other telecom operator having IP-based network,” COAI director general Rajan S. Mat-hews said.
Earlier networks were built using copper cables, called circuit switch, but modern networks are being built mostly using optical fiber. A telecom licence had provision of connecting circuit switch based networks with another circuit switch, circuit switch with IP but not IP to IP.
The amendment was required to enable interconnection among upco-ming networks which will be based on IP starting with 4G technology. Meanwhile, DoT will soon issue ‘Know Your Customers’ guidelines to ensure easy availability of mobile SIM cards to facilitate machine-to-machine communication in devices like CCTV cameras and ACs to be deployed mainly in smart cities.
The guidelines would allow transfer of SIMs, among others. At present, norms bar transfer of SIMs, mandates strict subscriber verification and do not allow a person to own more than nine SIMs. “After M2M (machine-to-machine) roadmap, guidelines for M2M specific Know Your Customers (KYC) have been prepared and will be released shortly,” Telecom Secretary J S Deepak said at the India M2M and IoT forum here. The DoT is in discussion with ministry of home affairs to finalise these guidelines.
