India, Nov. 3 -- The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday released the Telecommunication Interconnection (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2026, introducing significant changes to the country's telecom interconnection framework. The amended regulations will come into effect on January 1, 2027.

Interconnection refers to the technical, operational and commercial arrangements that enable different telecom networks to exchange traffic, allowing subscribers of different service providers to communicate seamlessly.

The amendment aims to modernise the existing framework by shifting interconnection arrangements from the Long Distance Charging Area (LDCA) and Short Distance Charging Area (SDCA) levels to the Licensed Service Are...