TRAI proposes Quality of Service rules for 5G network slicing
India's Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI) has proposed extending Quality of Service (QoS) regulations to 5G network slicing. The new rules focus on resource utilization and outage reporting.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has proposed new regulations to bring 5G network slicing under its Quality of Service (QoS) framework. The proposal, detailed in a consultation paper released on August 5, seeks feedback from stakeholders, including telecom service providers and consumer groups, by August 26.
A key aspect of the proposal involves monitoring resource allocation within 5G networks. TRAI suggests that telecom operators maintain Physical Resource Block (PRB) utilization below 80%. If PRB utilization exceeds this threshold for five days in a month, operators will be required to augment capacity. Should utilization remain above 80% for a full month, the affected network slices must be removed from service.
Additionally, TRAI proposes that details demonstrating sufficient capacity must be submitted for each new network slice within 21 days of its creation. Each network slice in a mobile network will be treated as a separate tariff offering, subject to individual QoS compliance parameters.
The consultation paper also defines significant network outages. An outage is deemed significant if broadband service is unavailable in a district for over four continuous hours, or if more than 10% of subscribers experience a complete service loss or substantial degradation for over four continuous hours. Operators must report such outages to TRAI within 24 hours and provide compensation to affected users, such as proportional rent rebates or extended service validity.