Looking at telecom industry demand to fix floor price: Trai

New Delhi: Telecom sector regulator Trai on Thursday dropped broad hints that it may be open to the idea of setting a minimum tariff for calls and data to ensure viability of the sector.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had, in past, vehemently opposed any intervention by the regulator in setting either cap or floor tariffs, and the U-turn in its thought process came a day after Bharti Airtel head Sunil Mittal reportedly pressed Telecom Secretary for setting a floor or minimum rate for data.

Speaking at the AVIA India Video 360 event here, Trai Chairman R S Sharma said telecom tariffs have been under forbearance for the last 16 years that have been working fine, and it now looking at renewed industry demand for fixing a floor price.

Free voice calls and dirt-cheap data by billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Jio has wrecked havoc on the industry, which squeezed finances to match them.

"It is only recently that the telecom companies have together written to us that regulate us, so it's for the first time," he said.