No ISD facility for pre-paid mobile users

New Delhi, September 9: Prepaid mobile customers will not have international calling facilities, soon, unless they make a request for availing such a benefit.

As per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) latest direction to telecom companies, if pre-paid customers wanted the ISD facilities then they should give explicit consent for availing them. “Inform all pre-paid subscribers having ISD facility, through SMS, within 10 days of the date of issue of this direction, that ISD facility of the subscribers shall be discontinued after sixty days,” Trai said in its directive.

“If such subscribers want to continue with ISD facility, they should give their explicit consent for availing such facility within 60 days of the receipt of the SMS," it added.

The regulator’s direction came following complaints from consumers about missed calls from international telephone numbers, which are often premium numbers charging high tariff, prompting the consumers to make call to such numbers.

The TRAI said it had also been receiving complaints from consumers about receiving calls and SMSes from international numbers informing them about winning prizes or lottery and prompting consumers to call a particular number to claim the prize or lottery money.

“These numbers are international numbers, which are often premium numbers charging higher tariffs. By responding to such calls/SMS the consumers have to pay unintended charges,” Trai said. The regulator also asked service providers to send such SMS to consumers every six months and provide easy facility to the consumers for activation or deactivation of ISD facility. Currently, international long distance calling facility is given to all pre-paid users by default. The service is disconnected only if the subscribers make a request. But now the TRAI said the ISD service will be made available only to those who ask for it. It also directed to discontinue ISD services of all pre-paid subscribers who have not given consent.