TRAI regulation on pesky calls to come out before Nov 15

"We have finished the entire process of consultations. We are in the process of finalising the regulation for unsolicited calls and messaging. We wanted to do it by the end of October but there is slight delay. We may be out with regulation before November 15," Sharma told media persons.

He said the telecom regulator has been testing the technicalities of the proposed regulation in some telecom circles.

The Department of Telecommunications had to face embarrassment when Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee got an unsolicited call form a telemarketing company.

TRAI's earlier attempts to curb the menace, did not yield desired results. The Do-Not-Call registry introduced three years ago by the telecom regulator could not prove effective for various reasons.

Replying to a question on TRAI recommendations on increasing FDI limit in DTH services, Sharma said they are getting positive signals from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting that their recommendations will be accepted.

The TRAI earlier recommended that the FDI limit in DTH services can be increased to 74 per cent from the existing 49. It also recommended that FDI limit for local cable operators should be reduced to 26 per cent from 49.

"I have held discussions with the officials of I&B Ministry. My understanding is that they are inclined to increase the FDI in DTH services. They are considering the reduction of FDI in cable operator services," Sharma said.

He said according to the latest information he had, the I&B ministry is taking up the issue with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.

Commenting on the status of TRAI's order that compels the DTH service providers to offer channels on al a carte basis, Sharma said the issue is with Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) and the order has been reserved.