Trai directs uniform reporting of tariffs across all channels

The regulator also asked telecom firms to publish details of area-wise prepaid and postpaid tariff plans within 15 days.

Trai’s direction comes a day after Vodafone Idea Ltd removed claim of 50% faster data speed from its RedX premium plan priced at ₹1,099. The telco also dropped ‘priority 4G network’ as a benefit, but retained priority customer care service.

Vodafone Idea is yet to submit a modified RedX plan to the telecom regulator, said a senior government official. Telcos can submit their plans to Trai within seven days of the launch or modification, the official said.

Trai’s move followed its conclusion that the existing format of seeking details of tariff plans is inadequate due to the proliferation of innovative offers such as special vouchers, combo schemes and any add-on to regular plans.

Under the current format, telcos publish details of new or modified tariff plans on websites and customer care centres immediately, while information is shared at the points of sale and retail outlets by the seventh day of January, April, July and October. This leads to a three-month gap in information dissemination, Trai said.

“In the present scenario, it seems opportune to remove this inconsistency between the provisions of updating information on websites and customer care centres and point of sale and retail outlets," Trai had said in a consultation paper floated in November.

“We realised that our format was insufficient and could not seek complete information. To ensure users get all the details, we have retained the basic format of sharing information and the rest has to be detailed by the companies," the official added.

Trai has also directed telcos to publish an exhaustive list of quantity and rate of products such as voice, data and SMS in case of a bundled tariff offer. Consumers should have the information on all charges to be levied for using telecom as well as non-telecom products, which are not specifically proposed or included in a plan.