No More Special Offers on MNP- TRAI

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has decided that telecom firms would no longer be able to offer plans that entice users. As a result, telecom firms would be unable to offer special offers and price plans to entice users to move their mobile phones to their networks. According to the authority, such offers are unfairly discriminatory against other current plans and should not be made. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has declared it a breach of regulations and has prohibited such schemes.

Instructions given to telecom operators

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has directed telecom firms to sell only rates that have been previously notified to the regulator and that comply with current laws. The use of channel partners, wholesalers, and third-party applications can enable companies to provide such pricing options to their customers. Users will no longer be able to purchase or plan independently from companies, as they have been directed to implement adjustments with immediate effect.

Violation of rules

According to the regulator, its inquiry found that "tariff offers connected to MNP violate Clause 10 of TTO-1999, which clearly states that it is not legal to provide distinct tariff plans to customers who are switching from one network to another." The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India thinks that firms utilize such programs to attract consumers from their competitors' networks.

TRAI received several complaints

One of the regulator's officials, according to media reports, said the new guidelines were issued as a result of complaints received by the organization. According to the article, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has received complaints against three major telecom providers - Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone-Idea (Vi) - for promoting MNP-specific tariffs in order to attract new subscribers. Following the guidelines, it is apparent that consumers who are switching from one network to another will not be eligible for any special plans or promotions.

Telecom operator's clarification

Many businesses assert that their channel partners are giving MNP-specific pricing to their new clients without their knowledge, however, this is not true, according to the TRAI's new guidelines, which are not legitimate. Because channel partners, distributors, retailers, and third-party applications are not licensed organizations, the regulator underlined that it is the duty of telecom firms to determine whether or not to follow the pricing guidelines and rules that are available to their customers.

Focus is only on increasing the user base

The new upgrade comes at a time when both Airtel and Jio are giving a plethora of promotions to entice new customers, and the market share of Vodafone-idea (Vi) is progressively dropping. Vodafone-Idea (Vi) lost 1.23 crore subscribers in the first quarter of 2021, bringing its overall userbase to Rs 25.54 crore, according to the company. Meanwhile, the combined userbases of Jio and Airtel hit 44.1 crores and 32.12 crore subscribers, respectively.