Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) instructed to all the service providers, to clean up their Value Added Services within 45 days of its order comes. TRAI’s move is to eliminate customer complaints claiming accidental activation of caller ring back tunes through the facility of "Press star to copy hello tunes" without their explicit consent. The regulatory body’s recent survey showed that almost all operators offered this service where a pre-recorded song plays out before the called party answers.
TRAI ordered directing all telecom operators to maintain transparency in Value Added Service offerings including BSNL and MTNL. The direction states that in all cases of subscription to VAS offers through "pressing of star key or other keys," the service provider shall, subsequent to the pressing of the key by an interested user, convey to the subscriber in writing or through sms or fax or email details of the VAS scheme.
The information should include terms and conditions and applicable charges as well to obtain explicit consent of the customer prior to activation of the service. TRAI has also directed service providers not to activate chargeable services during a customer initiated call to a third party unless the subscriber’s consent had been obtained.
The order also states music or video related value added services such as caller ring back tune, background music, wallpaper shall not be provided, even if it is free of charge, without taking consent of the consumer . TRAI’s contact details should also be displayed in monthly bill statements and at customer service centers.
A BSNL official said the move was welcome even from a service provider’s perspective as it removed room for users to activate a service and then claim that it was accidental.
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