Srinagar, Jan 28:  The Telecom Enforcement, Resource and Monitoring Cell (J&K) held a meeting with Telecom Service providers of J&K on January 22.
 The meeting, according to a statement issued by the Cell, was attended by the COOs of seven telecom service providers presently operating in J&K viz. Airtel, BSNL, Aircel, Reliance, Tata, Vodafone and Idea. The meeting was chaired by D R Paul, Deputy Director General, Department of Telecommunications, TERM Cell J&K.
 The revised guidelines issued by the Ministry of Communications and IT for re-verification of existing pre-paid mobile customers and issuance of new pre-paid and post-paid mobile connections, were explained to the service providers.
Queries raised by service providers:
# With the issuance of revised guidelines, re-verification of the existing pre-paid connections and sale of pre-paid and post-paid mobile connections should be done at the service provider’s own outlets or at the outlet of its franchisees only and no such activity is allowed to be done by the retailers.
# Whether the retailers can do the activities of recharge and top-up of working prepaid connections?
# Whether the retailers can handle and collect the CAFs?

After a threadbare discussions the following instructions were given to the service providers:
 The activities of recharge and top-up of working prepaid connections can be done by the retailers but they cannot do the activities relating to CAFs.
 The service providers further requested that availability of CAFs at the retailer’s place may be allowed.  After long discussion, the DDG told that to avoid misuse of the instructions at later stage and since the customer has to go to the outlet of company or its franchisee for depositing of CAF and completing other formalities for the new connection, therefore,  availability of CAF at retailer’s place is not permitted. Hence, the retailers cannot do any activity relating to re-verification of existing pre-paid connections and sale of pre-paid & post-paid mobile connections.

Instructions:
 In case of pre-paid connections,  if the full expenditure i.e. the cost of SIM, cost on recharge, cost on top-up or any other expenditure, is borne by a Government organisation, an educational institution, a company, a firm or any other institution, then only, such connections are to be treated as bulk connections. Otherwise it will be treated as a connection in individual capacity and it will be purchased by the employee as an individual. If the expenditure is incurred partly by the employee and partly by the  Government organisation/ educational institution/ company/ firm or any other institution, the connection will be purchased by an individual not as a bulk connection.
 In case of post-paid connections, if the full expenditure i.e. the cost of SIM, security charges, activation charges, monthly rental  recharge or any other charges, is borne by a Government organisation, an educational institution, a company, a firm or any other institution, then only, such connections are to be treated as bulk connections. Otherwise it will be treated as a connection in individual capacity and it will be purchased by the employee as an individual. If the expenditure is incurred partly by the employee and partly by the Government organisation/ educational institution/ company/ firm or any other institution, the connection will be purchased by an individual not as a bulk connection.
 In view of these clarifications,  for bulk connections the head of the Government organisation/ educational institution/ company/ firm or any other institution, will be the applicant for completing all the necessary formalities for getting  the pre-paid /post-paid connection/re-verification.

Other instructions:
Following information is required to be displayed on the notice board at every outlet:
(i)   Mobile number is non transferable
(ii)  Maximum six mobile connections (pre-paid and post-paid) across the service  providers can be purchased by the family members
(iii)  Misuse of mobile number if any is liable to be punishable
(iv)  Re-verification of existing pre-paid connections and sale of SIMs for pre-paid &  post-paid connections will be available only at the company’s authorized outlets operated by the company itself or by the franchisee.
(v)   Authority letter in the name of franchisee issued by the service provider is to be displayed at every outlet.
For getting second or multiple connections, the customer is required to give additional information in the Form for new connection as well as for re-verification of existing pre-paid connection, as under:
(i)  Reasons for taking second or multiple connections.
(ii)   List of mobile numbers (pre-paid and post-paid) already having in the name of applicant and members of his/her family, purchased from any service provider.
(iii)   Income of the applicant and that of family members. 
 All the telecom service providers were instructed to adhere to the revised guidelines.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 IST