Reliance Jio, India's largest telecom operator, was scrutinised by Airtel for announcing its broadband backup plan. Airtel had reached out to TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India), asking the regulatory body to block the offering from Jio. But that is not going to happen anymore. According to an ET Telecom report, TRAI has given a clean chit to Reliance Jio over the offer.
Airtel's primary concern with Jio's broadband backup plan was that it was a predatory offering, which was hurting the interest of the consumers as well as disturbing the level playing field in the DTH (Direct-to-Home) space. Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for Communications, told Parliament on Friday that TRAI doesn't seem to have any problem with Reliance Jio's offer.
Thus Reliance Jio can continue to offer the broadband backup plan to customers. It is interesting to note that even Airtel brought a super affordable broadband plan to the market after Jio introduced the broadband backup plan. That plan was priced the same as Jio's affordable plan. You can read more about it by clicking on the link below.
Read More - Airtel Launches Broadband Standby Plans Starting at Rs 199 with Free Router, Xstream Box and More
Reliance Jio's broadband backup plan is meant for customers who can't afford plans that cost around Rs 500 per month. Thus, Jio introduced a super affordable broadband plan so that everyone can get a broadband connection for their home. But Jio also started offering OTT (over-the-top) benefits such as Live TV channels to customers with these super affordable plans. This irked Airtel as it drove the competition higher in an area where the companies would have to lower the prices to compete instead of increasing them. But now, since TRAI has found that Jio's offer is not in contradiction with the tariff rules, Jio can continue to provide the offer to the customers.
