New Delhi: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has decided that no charges will be levied for SMS and Cell Broadcast – Alerts or messages sent either during the disaster or prior to notification of the disaster or after the expiry of the disaster.
TRAI took the decision considering the significance of alerts and messages sent as per directions issued under the Disaster Management Act.
The Authority said this while issuing the Telecom Tariff order 2022 on Tariffs for SMS and Cell Broadcast alerts disseminated through the Common Alerting Protocol platform during disaster or non-disaster situations. It said Telecom Service Providers shall broadcast messages to all the subscribers through Cell broadcast free of cost during disaster and non-disaster periods.
The Authority has also decided to prescribe a Tariff of two paise for SMS Alerts and messages sent during a disaster and non-disaster situations, other than those sent as per directions issued under the Disaster Management Act. Earlier, the Department of Telecom requested TRAI to provide tariffs for SMS and Cell Broadcast alerts to be disseminated during disasters and non-disasters.
