Interconnection
Also called: Telecom interconnection · Topic: Infrastructure: Transport, Communications and Energy · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Interconnection is the set of technical, operational and commercial arrangements that link two or more telecom networks. It lets a user on one network call or message a user on another network. The Point of Interconnection (POI) is the place where one operator hands traffic over to another. Without interconnection, a market with many operators cannot work, because each operator's customers could reach only each other. In India, TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, set up in 1997) regulates interconnection under Section 11(1)(b) of the TRAI Act, 1997. The main rules are the Telecommunication Interconnection Regulations, 2018.
Example
A Jio user in Chennai calls an Airtel user in the same city. The call travels on Jio's network up to a POI. There it is handed to Airtel's network, which delivers it to the other phone. Under TRAI's 2026 amendment, which takes effect on 1 January 2027, interconnection moves to the larger Licensed Service Area (LSA) level. All new POIs must also be IP-based (internet-protocol technology) instead of the old E1/TDM fixed circuits. Operators get 3 years to shift their existing POIs.
Don't confuse with
- Roaming: In roaming, your own phone uses another operator's network when you are outside your home area. In interconnection, two networks pass a call between users who stay on their own networks.
- Open access (electricity): Open access lets a large buyer use the power grid to buy electricity from any supplier. Interconnection joins telecom networks so that their users can reach each other.