TRAI seeks views on maximum duration for phone calls to ring, move to ensure optimal usage of network

New Delhi: Telecom regulator TRAI has sought the industry's views to discover appropriate duration for a call to ring in a bid to ensure optimal usage of network and spectrum resources.Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) latest discussion paper on 'Duration of alert for the called party' will also explore the "possibility of customisation of ringing duration" by the phone users, according to a statement.[caption id="attachment_5812151" align="alignleft" width="380"]

Representative image. Reuters[/caption]"The objective of this consultation paper is to discover values for duration of ringing which should be configured by all the telecommunication service providers to force release calls in case no answer condition persists beyond the given duration," the regulator said.The paper also seeks inputs on appropriate measures to be taken in this regard.In telecommunication networks, ring tone is used to alert the called party about an incoming call, but a fine balance has to be struck giving suitable time for caller to pick a call and optimal utilisation of network resources."Configuration of duration of ringing time on the lower side might save network resources but it may cause concerns related to network performances and customer experience if the duration is much lower than the typical time one takes to answer the call," TRAI said.This may, in turn, impact the pattern of outgoing and incoming minutes of usage (MoU) on point of interconnection (PoI)."Keeping in view the impact of ring duration on quality of service experience and network performances, it is important to discover the appropriate values," it added.The deadline for statekholders comments has been fixed for 30 September 2019 and counter comments, if any, by 7 October.