Reliance Jio Complains To Trai Against Airtel, Vodafone, Idea; Recommends 'Highest Penalty'

Reliance Jio has complained to telecom regulator TRAI against rivals Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular over what it calls unfair as well as deceptive methods existence used past times them to retain customers willing to port out of their networks. In a letter, Reliance Jio has asked that the "strongest action" should live on taken against the 3 incumbents, as well as suggested that the "highest penalty" should live on levied against them for what it deems to live on gross violation of licence norms, telecom tariff orders, as well as mobile set out portability (MNP) guidelines.

The country's youngest telecom operator inwards a alphabetic character dated Apr 10 said that the 3 telecom operators are coming upwards amongst prepaid recharges, postpaid plans, discounts inwards value of exceptional tariff vouchers, as well as postpaid pecker amounts to brand certain customers create non port to Reliance Jio network.

Jio claimed that these offers are existence presented to subscribers "surreptitiously" on one-to-one basis, as well as that the same offers are non available to full general public. Nor are the companies openly publicising such offers on their website every bit stipulated, it said.

"At the outset, nosotros submit that then far every bit these MNP offers are concerned, these are inwards gross violation of extant telecom laws including Telecom Tariff Order, 1999," Jio has said inwards the 5 page alphabetic character to TRAI.

Responding to the allegations, a Vodafone spokesperson said that every bit its client needs are diverse, the companionship offers them "exciting as well as engaging propositions catering to their myriad requirements, inwards accordance amongst applicable norms, regulations as well as manufacture best practices".

"Vodafone's commitment to its hundreds of 1 M m customers is to e'er render super value as well as sense across product, service as well as network," the spokesperson added.

A Bharti Airtel spokesperson likewise dismissed the allegations maxim the companionship is inwards total compliance of all regulatory guidelines including tariff orders as well as MNP regulations. "We categorically deny these allegations," the spokesperson added.

E-mails sent to Idea Cellular did non elicit whatsoever response. Jio alleged that the telephone telephone centres of these operators are providing "false as well as malicious" data to subscribers regarding the service character as well as network coverage of the novel operator.

"The telephone telephone centre recordings reveal a fell drive underway to defame as well as vilify the services existence offered past times Reliance Jio," it alleged.

Jio has said that such practices are inwards violation of tariff reporting requirements of TRAI as well as breach the boundary of 25 plans (prepaid as well as postpaid) allowed every bit per regulations to operators.

It also claimed that such customised MNP plans are inwards violation of the tariff society every bit the subscriber alternative criteria is non disclosed past times the telcos.

Jio has urged TRAI to "take cognizance of the vilification as well as defamation drive underway against RJIL" past times the operators, as well as straight them to "cease as well as desist" from such acts.