The telecom regulator on Monday asked public to exercise due caution while joining online conference platforms via audio calls by first checking applicable rates for dialling such numbers and their helplines.
The advice by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) comes in the wake of instances where users experienced “bill shocks” after inadvertently dialling international numbers to get onto online conferencing.
The regulator said it is also aware of cases where the customer care centres of service providers are either premium numbers or international numbers. “Obviously, the members of public who use such services inadvertently may have to pay higher rates applicable to premium numbers or international numbers which would imply application of ISD tariffs,” the telecom sector watchdog said in a statement.