The complete transition to digital cable TV will come into effect from December 31, 2016, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Regional Head (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and Goa), Sibichen K. Mathew has said.
Addressing a telecom consumer outreach programme organised by TRAI here on Wednesday, Mr. Mathew said the digitisation of cable TV network had already been completed in four metros and 38 cities.
The digitisation would provide value-added services including broadband. Cable operators should have a designated complaint handling and redressal system, he said. A large number of consumers, officials from the government departments, representatives of the service providers, and college students attended the programme organised to create awareness among telecom consumers of their rights and privileges.
The TRAI regional head explained the initiatives taken for the protection of rights of telecom consumers.
The regulations of TRAI for mobile number portability (MNP), unsolicited commercial communications (UCC), value added services (VAS) and complaint redressal mechanism were also explained to participants. In case of any complaint or service request, the subscriber has to call the customer care number of the service provider and register a complaint. If the consumer is not satisfied with the redressal, the appellate authority may be approached.
He said the mobile consumer could move from one service provider to another within the same area retaining the existing number by MNP. Under MNP, the mobile user was eligible to make a porting request only after 90 days from activation.
It was pointed out that consumers had an option to selectively receive telemarketing calls and SMS. The consumer had to register his preference by sending SMS to or calling 1909. The consumer can deactivate value-added services at any time through the toll-free number 155223.
During the interaction session, the participants gave suggestions and also raised issues relating to the service provided by telecom service providers.
TRAI instructed the service providers to resolve them at the earliest.
