The government today said the number of complaints by telecom customers against operators has come down substantially ever since sectoral regulator TRAI''s guidelines on unsolicited commercial communications came into force on September 27. Subside 

"Prior to the coming into force of this (the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2010) regulation, on an average, 47,454 complaints were received per month," Minister for State of Communications and IT Milind Deora said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

"The number of complaints have come down after the implementation. As per the data, a total of 5,979 complaints were lodged by telecom customers from September 27 to November 15, 2011," he added.

As per the regulations, telecom customers have to register with their service providers for registration in the National Customer Preference Registry. No complaints have been received regarding the Access Providers refusing to register new customers in the National Preference Registry as intimated by regulator TRAI, he added.

Replying to another question, Deora said the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) is in the process of formulating a scheme to provide mobile communication services at 1,898 locations in nine Left Wing Extremist (LWE)-affected states out of the 2,199 sites where the Ministry of Home Affairs had requested the erection of mobile communication towers.

"This would be helpful in providing mobile communication services in the LWE-affected areas," Deora said.