Dr. R.S.

Sharma
Chairman, TRAI

Dr. R. S. Sharma is Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) since the 10th of August
2015. He leads the regulatory body for orderly growth and consumer protection in telecom & broadcasting
sectors.

Dr. Sharma’s philosophy has been to keep the customer at the focus of all regulatory action. And to seek
validation of such action through widest possible consultation and the openness to set out the regulator’s
thought process into public domain.

Consumer Choice

It starts with empowering customers in making an informed choice. To take a few examples, this approach
can be seen in:

1. Net Neutrality regulations where intermediaries, like the access providers, cannot make a decision
that impacts customer’s experience of the internet.
2. Framework for broadcasting and cable services, in which the customer is free to choose any channel
or bouquet of channels that she desires. Any attempt to limit consumer option through pricing or
bundling, is sought to be neutralized in this framework.
3. Assistance to telecom subscribers in choosing their operator and tariff plan in a transparent manner
through web-based tools hosted by TRAI.
4. Use of crowd-sourced information to enable a customer making choice about the Quality of Service
they can expect in their areas.

Market Mechanism for delivering outcomes

Once the customer has a voice, Dr Sharma’s approach has been to enable the market to listen and respond.
For this, all stakeholders, including the government, must work to ensure that the market functions without
any interference and that the market is not stymied by anti-competitive behaviour of the participants. For
example, the regime for interconnection, both rules and pricing, has been made transparent and is regularly
reviewed to keep it neutral. Similarly, the process for mobile number portability has been strengthened to
enable choice being exercised directly by the customer.
Eye on emerging issues

Dr Sharma has been alive to the emerging issues and opportunities in the world today. For example,

1. He has advocated using technology to ensure disintermediation and transparency. To this end, he
has fostered information interchange through standardized APIs and the setting up of a distributed
ledger, in which all telecom companies are participants.
2. TRAI was one of the first sector regulators to lay down its recommendation on Privacy, Security
and Ownership of the Data in the Telecom Sector.
3. TRAI issued recommendations on “Spectrum, Roaming and QoS related requirements in Machine-
to-Machine (M2M) Communications” for proliferation of machine to machine & IoT based services
in September 2017.
4. Recommendations on “In-Flight Connectivity” were given by TRAI in January 2018, on basis of
which the Government of India notified the Flight and Maritime Connectivity Rules, 2018.

Promoting transparency

Dr Sharma communicates his ideas to national and international audiences by being accessible to the media
and by participating in events that focus on issues on telecom and broadcasting sectors. He supports TRAI’s
outreach efforts and engagement with Consumer Advocacy Groups in a structured manner.

He advocates using crowd-sourced information and putting out the data and result of analysis of such data
in public domain. A white paper on methodology for measuring broadband speed speeds is one such
example.

Direct Intervention on behalf of the consumers

Under his guidance, TRAI could be described as an activist-regulator that does not hesitate to directly
intervene on behalf of the consumer. Examples of this approach are:

1. Revising QoS benchmarks, especially adopting a new methodology for tracking call drops.
2. Mandating prior consent of subscriber for promotional messages to be sent by a business entity.
3. Suo motu consultation on needs of persons with disabilities in accessing telecom and broadcasting
services.
Biographical Information

• Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

• Secretary, D/o Electronics and Information Technology, M/o Communications & Info Tech,
Goverment of India.
• Chief Secretary, Government of Jharkhand.
• Director General & Mission Director, UIDAI.
• Principal Secretary, Public Health and Engineering, Government of Jharkhand.
• Secretary IT, Human Resource Development, Panchayati Raj, Personnel and Drinking Water &
Sanitation.
• Principal Secretary to the Governor, Jharkhand.
• Nodal Officer for the IMF, MIGA and GEF.
• Joint Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government Of
India.
• Transport Commissioner and Director (Treasury), Government of Bihar.
• District Collector in Begusarai, Purnea and Dhanbad.
• Deputy Development Commissioner in Saharasa
• Sub-Divisional Officer Godda, Jharkhand.

Dr. Sharma holds Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, a master’s degree in
mathematics from IIT, Kanpur (India) and another master’s in computer science from the University of
California (USA).