Summary:
TRAI will review complaints from Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio alleging that Vodafone Idea (Vi) is offering tariff-related benefits to customers who port their mobile numbers to its network. The operators argue that such offers may act as incentives to attract subscribers and conflict with TRAI’s earlier position against preferential benefits for port-in customers. They have also sought directions for Vi to withdraw related promotions, advertisements and sales practices and submit a compliance report.
The chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said the regulator will review representations filed by Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio concerning Vodafone Idea Limited’s (Vi) alleged attempts to attract customers to its network.
When asked whether TRAI was looking into the issues raised by the two telecom operators, the chairman said the regulator would examine the representations submitted to it.
The complaints concern allegations that Vi has been distributing and promoting tariff-related benefits aimed specifically at customers who port their mobile numbers to its network. One of the operators recently brought the matter before TRAI, stating that such offers could be viewed as incentives encouraging subscribers to change networks.
The operator cited TRAI’s previous stance that preferential or differential tariff benefits provided exclusively to customers porting in from another telecom network are not allowed. It also asked the regulator to instruct Vi to immediately discontinue such promotional communications and provide a compliance report confirming that advertisements, campaigns and sales practices connecting tariff benefits with mobile number porting had been withdrawn.
