The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is set to propose measures to make plans offered by telecom service providers more user-friendly.

Hidden charges

Trai chairman J.S. Sarma has suggested issuing a consultation paper that would make it mandatory for operators to declare all hidden charges while advertising a plan so that the subscriber can make an informed choice. “Finer details and caveats that could influence a customer’s decision should be declared up front,” he said.

Per second billing

Another consultation paper will explore whether operators should offer at least one plan that has a per-second billing scheme. “The idea is not to change the unit of measurement but to ensure that people pay for what they use and not waste valuable talktime. If every operator has one such plan, subscribers will have many options to choose from,” he said.

Number portability

Sarma also said that mobile number portability will be implemented in metros and Category A cities by 31 December 2009 and Category B cities by March next year.