Point of Interconnection
Also called: POI · Topic: Infrastructure: Transport, Communications and Energy · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A Point of Interconnection (POI) is the place where one telecom operator hands over calls and data to another operator, or takes them over. It is the "border crossing" between two networks. Without POIs, a Jio user could not call an Airtel user, and a market with many operators would not work. TRAI regulates POIs under Section 11(1)(b) of the TRAI Act, 1997. Under TRAI's 2026 amendment, the two operators can now agree the POI's location between themselves. A provider may also voluntarily surrender (give up) a POI it no longer needs.
Example
From 1 January 2027, new POIs in India must be IP-based, meaning calls travel as data packets. They must also be set up at the level of the whole Licensed Service Area (LSA), which is a large telecom licence region, not the smaller local charging areas used before. Old E1/TDM POIs, which give each call one fixed line, must move to IP in phases over 3 years. TRAI checks POI quality with a congestion benchmark. No more than 0.5% of calls should fail at the handover point.
Don't confuse with
- Interconnection: the full set of technical, operational and commercial arrangements that link two networks. The POI is only the physical or logical point where traffic actually changes hands.
- Disconnection of a POI: a provider can disconnect a POI only for faults of the other provider, and only in exceptional cases. Surrender is a voluntary exit for the provider's own operational needs.