Reliance Jio has written a stern letter to telecom regulatory authority TRAI against its rivals Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea. Reliance Jio has said in its letter to TRAI that the rivals are organising vicious campaigns against it by spreading rumours that they will gain benefits from the Farm Bills.
Jio in its letter sent to TRAI on December 11, said that large number of port out requests have come in where customers are citing this as the sole reason for porting out of Jio. The customers do not have any complaints or other issues related to Jio services. Jio said that these companies continue to remain directly indirectly involved in supporting and furthering the ensued notions, and false frivolous rumours of Reliance being an undue beneficiary of the farm laws. This, Reliance says, is unethical.
Jio’s letter further added that the rivals’ employees and retailers are claiming that if people port out from Jio to their networks, they will be aiding to the farmers’ cause. It said, “We submit that Airtel and Vi remain unabated in pursuit, this vicious and divisive campaign through its employees, agents, and retailers. They are inciting the public by making preposterous claims that migrating Jio mobile numbers to their network would be an act to support farmers protests.”
Jio’s rivals’ counters seen on protest sites
Netizens have shared Airtel’s kiosk at the protest site where porting was done free of cost. Several photographs of people burning Jio SIMs were circulated on social media platforms.
People Boycotting Jio for Farmers Protest
— Liberal Slayer (@liberal_slayerr) December 13, 2020
Le Airtel : Free Network Langar pic.twitter.com/9wJ6ucOxAY
#BoycottJio#BoycottAdaniAmbani #Airtel#Farmers
— SadananthanNadar (@sadananthanj) December 9, 2020
Let’s destroy the evil 🔥
🔄Retweet if u agree pic.twitter.com/4lmbLO3NIq
If farmers can do, why cant we ? 👇#BoycottAdaniAmbani#BoycottJio #FarmersProstests @MohdTariqIqbal1 pic.twitter.com/I6r1XrWWHX
— Shaiba (@Shaiba48271237) December 10, 2020
Airtel’s reply to the allegations
In its letter to TRAI, Airtel has denied the allegations. It said, “Despite being provoked by some competitors who we know will go to any length to make baseless allegations, adopt bullying tactics and use intimidatory behaviour we have always conducted our business with character and transparency something that we are deeply proud of and known for… The current complaint therefore deserves to be dismissed and thrown out with the contempt that it deserves. It is in poor taste and is scurrilous to say the least.”
Economic Times in its report has said that the letter was sent after over 50,000 farmers supported a national boycott of the Reliance products that includes Jio’s SIM connections and phones. Till September-end, Jio had 406 million subscribers followed by Airtel with 294 million and Vi with 272 million.