GS Paper II

News Excerpt:

TRAI has recommended that only Indian nationals or entities should be eligible to participate in telecom regulatory sandboxes (RS) that can provide real-time but regulated access to networks and customer resources during product or technology tests.

The recommendations of TRAI:

• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommended that the Department of Telecom shall put in place an end-to-end digital process to handle RS applications and all related activities, including intimations, approvals, sharing of information, monitoring, reporting requirements etc.
• It recommended a non-refundable processing fee of Rs 10,000 for the applications.
• During the testing period, the applicants will need to demonstrate the ways to prioritise the protection of consumer interests and prevent any harm to consumers.
• Applicants will need to share details of licensing or regulatory relaxations that are sought for testing purposes and submit a clear exit strategy that outlines the process for exiting the testing phase.
• Only such customers will be allowed to be on boarded who have given specific consent voluntarily.
• Customer onboarding and private/public data processing should align with the provisions of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and any applicable rules, regulations, or orders issued under the Act.
• Oversight and governance of the RS shall be done by the National Telecommunications Institute for Policy Research, Innovation, and Training (NTIPRIT).
• Further, NTIPRIT should rope in representatives from the Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC) and academic institutions, as required.
• The recommendations were part of "Encouraging Innovative Technologies, Services, Use Cases, and Business Models through Regulatory Sandbox in Digital Communication Sector" of TRAI.
• The Telecommunications Act, 2023, has introduced the provision of setting up multiple regulatory sandboxes.

Why are regulatory sandboxes vital for Telecom Sector?

• Development of 5G/6G use cases and tech, including AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning) requires inter-sectoral and multi-stakeholder collaborations. 
• A regulatory sandbox can provide a platform where telecom companies, gear makers, app developers, academics, scientists and regulators can work together, test and develop cutting-edge products that can be commercially successful in the mass market. 
• Multiple central ministries, states, municipalities, smart city authorities can also participate in such sandboxing to test reliability and commercial viability of 5G/6G use cases, enterprise apps.