Trai asks telcos to publish their tariff plans in newspapers

In a consumer-friendly move that is expected to help mitigate some of the problems faced by users and also bring in some transparency, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has asked telcos to publish their tariff plans in newspapers - at least one in regional language and another in English.

"Notwithstanding several steps taken by Trai in the past with a view to enhance transparency in tariff offers, the Authority continues to receive complaints from consumers and their representatives allege lack of transparency and resultant confusion for subscribers due to the multiplicity of tariff plans of various nature available," Trai said.

"Tariffs must be published in at least one regional and one English paper. The new formats will be adopted by telcos by February 3. Tariff plans must be tabulated for easy comparison," the regulator said in a directive issued to telecom operators on Monday. Moreover, Trai has given the mandate that tariffs must be published every six months. It has also directed firms to publish tariff plans in specified formats, which would be different for prepaid and post-paid plans.

"Companies must submit publication compliance report to Trai. All points of sale, telco sites will display tariff plans. Information on telcos' Websites must be updated at all times," Trai said. Trai has also pointed out that the tariff information at points of sale (telcos' service stations) must be updated on quarterly basis.

Also, the Authority has decided to streamline and standardise the vouchers offered by service providers, so as to provide clarity and help consumers understand the nature of various vouchers. In an effort to address a common complaint, Trai has asked operators to ensure that they do not adopt unfair means such as activating services, including value-added services, without the consent of the consumer.

Trai said consumers should be informed of the charges for services before implementation and in case of value-added services information about charges, validity period and the procedure to unsubscribe must be given before activation of the service.

Telcos have also been asked to specify colour code on the vouchers to distinguish different types of vouchers. Also, telcos will have to give details of the plan, maximum retail price (MRP) and net monetary value by printing the information on the voucher in font size of not less than eight points.

During the consultation process, users expressed concerns that some operators are not providing information such as last call duration, charges, validity period, account balance and other details. Most subscribers felt that such information should be provided to prepaid users immediately after the completion of a call, enabling the person to verify the amount deducted from his/her account and also regulate the usage.

Courtesy: Mail Today