Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) and Bharti Airtel are both being questioned by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) over their differential broadband speed plans. Both the telcos were earlier questioned on their Priority 4G Network offer which claimed to give customers a priority in speed than any normal customer . Now the regulatory has further questioned both Bharti Airtel and VIL about their differential broadband speed plans. It has been discovered by Trai that both the telcos have stated something else and are offering something else entirely.
Bharti Airtel and VIL RED X and Platinum Plans Fooling Customers?
As per a report from ET Telecom, Reliance Jio had alerted to the regulatory body that VIL and Bharti Airtel are offering RED X and Platinum plans with a promise of higher data speed. Jio maintains its position on the statement that none of the telcos can guarantee faster speeds to their customers and if those claims are made, they are only misleading the customers.
Trai, in a letter to both VIL and Bharti Airtel wrote, “As per information available in Trai as filed by you, no wireless plan is committing any differential broadband speed, (but) it’s seen that RedX and Platinum plans are not only providing priority on network but also committing higher speed.”
Thus Trai had asked the telcos that why didn’t they submit these plans under the ‘new types of services’ so that a proper examination of the plans could have taken place before they were launched into the market.
The regulator is checking if the faster speeds offer and Priority 4G Network offer is affecting the quality of speed for other users who don’t have these particular benefits. One of the main questions asked by Trai to the telcos is what happens when there is data congestion in an area where both priority customers and non-priority customers are. The letters have been sent to both Bharti Airtel and VIL. The telcos have to respond by August 4 to all queries of the regulator.
