By Jeeta Bandopadhyay

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has doubled the daily cap of SMS to 200 per SIM, bringing smiles to consumers and service providers across India. The telecom regulator’s move came after quarters across the country voiced concern over the SMS restriction. The new SMS cap came to effect from November 1, 2011.

To curb the menace of unsolicited text messages, the regulator decided to introduce the 100-SMS daily cap last month. This particular cap also restricted subscribers using multiple SIM cards to send infinite text messages, without registering them as telemarketers.

Unfortunately, TRAI’s move made an equal impact on consumers as their daily SMS communication got limited to just 100. Moreover, the regulations on telemarketing companies issued on September 27 compelled service providers such as Idea Cellular, Vodafone and Bharti Airtel to stop offering bulk message packs. Consider this: To comply with TRAI norms, telcos started offering message packs of only 3,000 SMSes per month or 100 SMSes per day, whereas earlier message packs allowed consumers to send around 500-700 text messages per day.

In a press statement, TRAI said that it considered raising the limit of SMS per day to 200 per SIM from 100, after receiving representations from consumers and service providers to relax the limit. Sources reveal that telcos will begin offering the improved message packs at the earliest and pass the benefit to over 860-million mobile phone users across the country.

Views
GSM industry lobby Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has welcomed the telecom regulator’s new decision. Mobile phone users also feel that the new rules to allow 200 SMS per SIM per day is a fair deal.

Leading service provider Bharti Airtel said in a statement that the regulator extended the daily SMS cap to cater to the needs of customers who frequently use text messages to communicate. Moreover, the operator assured to continue complying with new SMS regulations.

However, telecom consumer organisations registered with TRAI feel that the step has been taken too early and would forfeit the main purpose of curbing unsolicited commercial messages. According to Randhir Verma, president of Chandigarh Telecom District Telephone Subscribers Association, “The regulator’s decision to increase the number of SMSes per day to 200 is due to continuous efforts from corporates, private colleges and telecom companies. The move would forfeit the main purpose of restricting pesky messages. The step should have been taken after proper inputs from various quarters and feedback of at least 3-4 months.”

Terming the daily 200-SMS cap as insufficient, noted politician Devendra Fadnavis said that it becomes extremely important to send lakhs of warning messages in case of disaster management and so any kind of restriction on SMS may prove fatal. TRAI has taken a step back, when the entire world is keen to increase use of communication technology, he added.

Mr Fadnavis has also requested Telecom minister Kapil Sibal to immediately lift the censorship as it violates personal liberty of citizens. To control the menace of unwanted messages, TRAI could have increased the rates of sending bulk SMS, suggested the politician.

Telemarketers, including SMEs, opined that the change will not impact them as they do not use SIM cards for sending promotional messages.