Reliance Communications to shut down voice calling from December 1

Anil Ambani led Reliance Communications (RCom) is going to shut down its voice calling services from December 1 and all its customers must move to other networks by December 31, according to a direction issued by telecom regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI).

The company will only provide 4G data services to its customers and as a result will discontinue providing voice-based services to its subscribers. RCom informed TRAI that it is providing 2G and 4G services in eight telecom circles of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Up East and West, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala.

The company has also informed TRAI that they will be upgrading the CDMA network of Sistema Shyam Teleservices which has merged with the company to provide 4G services in Delhi, Rajasthan, UP West, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Kolkata.

TRAI said that RCom has sent all the necessary information regarding the shutting down of voice calls along with the option to port out to any operator in case the subscriber does not wish to continue with the 2G and 4G data services of the company.

The move comes after the company, reeling under the debt of around Rs 46,000 crore, failed to close its wireless business merger deal with Aircel in October.

TRAI has directed Reliance Communications to not reject porting out requests of any of its subscribers and asked all telecom operators to accept the request of RCom subscribers til December 31, 2017.