Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) have finally submitted all the details of the segmented offers to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). Yesterday, we reported that the telcos have asked for extra time from the regulator to comply with its order. But apparently, both the telcos have submitted the segmented offer details which are now being examined by Trai. For the unaware, the regulator asked Airtel and Vi to submit all the details of the segmented offers they provided to the users in the January to November months of 2020 — more details on the story ahead.
Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea Submitted the Segmented Offer Details With the Regulator
Trai had given the telcos a span of 15 days, until December 20, 2020, to submit all the segmented offers' details and comply with its order. The details needed to include the offer's name, terms and conditions, tariff rates, benefits, and validity spans. The regulator had further directed the operators to submit the details of the offer in a monthly manner.
This meant that all the offers made in January and all the other months had to be submitted separately. As per a report shared by ET Telecom, the telcos have complied with the order from Trai and submitted all the necessary details.
Trai wasn’t comfortable with telcos withholding the details of the segmented offers because it creates a lack of transparency, leading to discrimination between users. The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) had earlier sided with the telcos and allowed them to keep the details of their segmented offers with them.
Telcos said that they are not comfortable sharing the offer details because if it gets into its competitors' hands, it can potentially result in a huge loss for their operations. Trai had to shift the matter into the hands of the Supreme Court of India where the regulator won the case, and the operators were left with no choice but to comply with its order asking them to submit the details of their segmented offers.
However, the apex court has asked the regulator to keep all the offer details it receives confidential, so it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. The regulator seeks to determine if there was discrimination on the offers provided to the users in the same class or paying the same money for a tariff plan. Trai has no other purpose of collecting the offer details but maintaining transparency and ensuring that everyone is treated equally.
