Free Basics vs Free Net: Who will be the winner?

Follow Us

At a press conference today, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is likely to take a strong stance on net neutrality amid speculations that the telecom regulator will bar zero-rated products such as Facebook's Free Basics and Airtel Zero.

mobile-india-1




According to Economic Times, TRAI is likely “to disallow subsidised data packages that offer access to only a select services, such as Whatsapp or Twitter, packages which are currently offered by various telcos to attract subscribers.”

This announcement will be a significant win for the supporters of free net in the country, however, it would be a setback for the telcos and social networking giant Facebook who have backed differential pricing of data services.

Last year, country’s top telco Bharti Airtel dealt a severe blow after it launched its zero-rated product Airtel Zero. Following the backlash, it was forced to put the product on the back-burner. Critics say that the initiatives by Facebook and Airtel were aimed at creating two types of Internet free and paid and these go against the principle of net neutrality.

Yesterday, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said that the government would take a call on Facebook’s Free Basics service and other zero-rating initiatives considering India’s best interest.

Reported By

Having over six years of experience in business journalism, Krishna has a knack for writing on telecom and IT. She believes that tryst with technology is the best thing that has ever happened to mankind. Krishna is a telecom analyst

Recent Comments

Grs :

This is what I am talking about. @Androidfreak. You simply don’t understand it.

Airtel Added 2367 Towers in Gujarat Between Dec 2022 -…

iFun :

The data pipes to these two bands are unplugged. It happens when radios beaming so and so bands lost their…

Vi's Plan Under Rs 2000 for One Year

Anand :

Does anyone know if Jio Bharat plans can be used only with Jio Bharat phones or any other brand feature…

Vi's Plan Under Rs 2000 for One Year

Anand :

Vi should offer unlimited calls + sms only plans with 365 days validity for Rs.1499 & 30 days validity for…

Vi's Plan Under Rs 2000 for One Year

Faraz :

Since last year only, but it is not supported in older phones.

Telecom Minister Hails BSNL Turnaround, Says Telecom PSU Is Thriving…

Load More
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
10 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments