The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has finished its mandatory examination of the latest bout of industry-wide tariff hikes and has concluded they are fair and non-predatory in nature, officials said. The three private sector telecom operators, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi), had raised tariffs from July 3-4.
The telcos have submitted details of the hike within the stipulated seven days, and these were not found to be discriminatory or predatory in nature, they added.
According to the Telecommunication Tariff Order (TTO), 1999, the service providers have to report to the Authority any new tariff for telecom services or any change thereunder within seven working days from the date of implementation. These tariffs are then examined for their compliance with the regulatory principles, which include the principles of transparency, non-predation, and non-discrimination.
“The tariffs did not violate any of these principles,” an official said.
In June, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea announced a hike in mobile tariffs by up to 21 per cent, just a day after market leader Reliance Jio implemented an across-the-board hike in tariffs. While Airtel has raised tariffs by a lesser margin than Jio’s 12-25 per cent, it includes Airtel’s 2G subscriber base as well, a category Jio hasn’t touched. Vi has also focussed the most on unlimited data plans, spanning validity periods from 28 days to one year.
Officials also pointed out that the regulator’s decision was shaped by the fact that telecom tariffs in India remain among the lowest in the world. Earlier this week, the Department of Telecommunications pointed out that there exists adequate competition in the market, with at least four service providers offering competitive plans. It was responding to multiple parliamentary questions over the government’s ability to maintain a competitive environment in the mobile telephony sector.
First Published: Aug 08 2024 | 5:22 PM IST
