Addressing what has been a long standing demand of content owners for control over their short code brand (for example Indiatimes 58888 and STAR 57827), the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has suggested that the National Numbering Plan Administrator in India make provisions for allocation of common short codes (CSCs) for value added services. The Issues At present, telecom operators (UASL and CMTS license holders) have been individually allocating short codes to content owners. Content owners have found themselves in a situation at times where some telecom operators have licensed the short codes, while others have held back, as a form of negotiation. Services get delayed, some don't even get launched, or services are available at short codes different operators. This means that content owners cannot have uniformity in their marketing communications - for example: offering services on one…
