The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has floated a consultation paper to discuss the various aspects of tariff orders and their validity.
The regulator said though the telcos had been very clear about the validity of tariff recharges, the consumers have in their complaints said these tariffs created confusion and they felt cheated.
Trai has been receiving a lot of references from consumers regarding the tariff offering by telecom service providers for 28 days instead of a monthly offering. Trai noted that tariffs for telecom services are largely under forbearance, with certain exceptions.
Alongside the user complaints, the regulator adds that politicians have also expressed their concerns and the TRAI has received Parliament Questions from members of parliament regarding the issue.
During the regulator’s initial discussions with providers on the matter, the cellcos argued that charging every month was not possible.
The regulator has now asked stakeholders - public and industry - if it should intervene in the issue of the validity period or allow the same to be under forbearance.
'...based on the feedback received from consumers through various channels, it is felt that certain tariff/vouchers and their validity offered by telecom service providers (TSPs) are not in satisfaction of a large section of consumers,' Trai said in a press statement.
The purpose of the latest consultation paper is to identify such tariff offers and explore the possibility of making tariff or vouchers offered by service providers and their validity issues sync with the aspiration and requirements of consumers at large.
Trai sought stakeholder views on various issues related to 'Validity period of tariff offers', and fixed June 11 and June 25 as timelines for written comments and counter comments.
