From which date do the Telecommunication Interconnection (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2026 take effect?
- A.1 December 2026
- B.1 January 2027
- C.1 April 2027
- D.3 November 2026
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is 1 January 2027. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India released these amendment regulations and stated that they would come into force from the first day of January 2027, which gives operators a window to prepare before the new interconnection duties begin. Option A is wrong because no December commencement was provided for. Option C is wrong because the start was not deferred to the next financial year. Option D is wrong for a subtler reason worth noting: 3 November 2026 is the date the regulations were released, not the date they take effect, and questions often turn on exactly this distinction. The amendment rewrites parts of the Telecommunication Interconnection Regulations of 2018, and TRAI draws its power to prescribe interconnection terms from Section 11(1)(b) of the TRAI Act, 1997.
Read the full article: TRAI Issues Telecom Interconnection Third Amendment Rules 2026
Practice Questions
Under the amended rules, interconnection shifts to which level?
- A.Short Distance Charging Area (SDCA) level
- B.Long Distance Charging Area (LDCA) level
- C.Licensed Service Area (LSA) level
- D.District level
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The amendment modernises the framework by moving handover and takeover of telecom traffic away from the older charging-area geography to the Licensed Service Area, and it lets the interconnection provider and seeker agree between themselves where traffic will change hands.
Read the full explanation →What is the ceiling on the interest rate for delayed payment of interconnection charges?
- A.RBI repo rate plus one percent
- B.SBI one-year MCLR plus two percent
- C.A flat rate of 18 percent a year
- D.Bank rate plus three percent
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A fresh provision now deals with late payment of interconnection charges and interconnection usage charges: the two service providers may settle the interest rate between themselves, but it cannot go above that benchmark.
Read the full explanation →Existing points of interconnection running on E1 or TDM links must be migrated to IP-based interconnection within what period?
- A.One year
- B.Two years
- C.Three years
- D.Five years
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The amendment regulations provide that every interconnection established after they come into force must be IP-based, and that points of interconnection still working on E1 or TDM technology have to be converted to IP-based interconnection in a phased manner within three years.
Read the full explanation →In which year did the first metro service in India begin running?
- A.1972
- B.1984
- C.1991
- D.2002
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While tracing how urban rail has spread in the country, the Prime Minister said the first metro in India ran in 1984, and he contrasted that long start with the slow building that followed, pointing out that metro services were confined to five cities even in 2014.
Read the full explanation →In how many Indian cities does a metro service run at present, according to the Prime Minister?
- A.15 cities
- B.21 cities
- C.26 cities
- D.32 cities
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The Prime Minister said that metro trains ran in only five Indian cities in 2014 and that the service has since spread to 26 cities.
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