The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has notified 17 firms in a panel of auditors to examine the metering and billing system deployed by service providers.

The panel’s term will last up to July 31, 2017, though TRAI may extend the validity at its discretion. The operators are required to appoint the auditor by April 30, 2014, for the 2014-15 finacial year. In a notification, TRAI has stated that service providers are free to engage any auditor from the notified panel and they shall not engage an audit agency consecutively for more than two years.

TRAI had in March 2013, issued the Quality of Service (Code of Practice for Metering and Billing Accuracy) (Amendment) Regulations, 2013, which can impose a financial disincentive of Rs 1,00,000 per week on telecom companies for delay in submitting audit and action taken reports.

As per the regulations, service providers are required to appoint an auditor from the panel of auditors notified by TRAI to examine at its cost, metering and billing system of wireline and wireless services on annual basis.