TRAI issues key recommendations on critical IoT services, M2M SIM ownership transfer
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released recommendations addressing two crucial issues, including the classification of critical services within the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) sector and the process for transferring ownership of M2M SIMs.
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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released its recommendations on 'the issues related to critical services in the M2M sector, and transfer of ownership of M2M SIMs', on April 22.
The released comprehensive recommendations address the classification of critical services within the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) sector and the procedures for transferring ownership of M2M SIMs. These guidelines aim to enhance the reliability and security of India's rapidly expanding Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in January 2024 sought revised guidelines on M2M communication policies, particularly concerning spectrum, roaming, and service quality requirements. TRAI subsequently released a consultation paper in June 2024 on 'the Issues Related to Critical Services in the M2M Sector, and Transfer of Ownership of M2M SIMs', inviting stakeholder feedback. The final recommendations incorporate inputs from various industry players and aim to bolster the regulatory framework governing India's M2M and IoT sectors.
In response, TRAI received 16 comments and one counter-comment from stakeholders. An open house discussion on the consultation paper was held on October 24, 2024. Based on the comments received from stakeholders and on its own analysis, TRAI has finalized its recommendations.
Among many of the key recommendations, TRAI has proposed a dual-criteria framework to identify "critical IoT services." A service qualifies as critical if: it necessitates ultra-reliable, low-latency M2M connectivity with high availability; its disruption could significantly impact national security, the economy, public health, or safety.
TRAI has recommended that the classification of critical IoT services of a particular domain/ sector should be done by the ministry/ regulatory body concerned in consultation with the DoT. It has also recommended that for the classification of critical IoT services, DoT should devise an institutional mechanism for the assistance of concerned ministries/ regulatory bodies.
Additionally, the regulator has recommended a technology-agnostic approach for the provision of critical IoT services. Specifically, TRAI has recommended that any wireless M2M communication technology (utilizing unlicensed spectrum, or licensed spectrum) or wired M2M communication technology should be permitted to be used for the provision of critical IoT services if it meets the prescribed service performance benchmarks.
Through these recommendations, TRAJ has recommended that the DoT should establish a framework for the transfer of M2M Service Provider (M2MSP) registration/ authorisation to the resultant entity in case of merger, demerger, acquisition etc. of M2MSP entities.
TRAI has also recommended that DoT should introduce an enabling provision for the transfer of the ownership of M2M SIMs from one M2MSP registration holder/authorised entity to another.
