Jio accuses rivals of “unfair and deceptive” practices
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India’s Reliance Jio Infocomm has called on the market’s telecoms regulator to penalize incumbent operators Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular for allegedly violating regulations covering mobile plans in an attempt to prevent more customers from porting to the new operator.
Reliance Jio has accused the operators of using “unfair and deceptive” methods to retain customers, including by offering custom retention offers for subscribers thinking of porting to Jio.
Jio said these custom offers are being offered on a one-off basis to existing customers, and as such are not advertised publicly as required by the regulations.
The operator has further argued that the custom offers violate regulatory norms limiting the number of prepaid and postpaid plans allowed to 25.
Finally, Jio has accused the operators of providing “false and malicious” information regarding the quality of Jio’s network to customers via call center interactions.
The operator is requesting that regulator Trai issue a ceast and desist order prohibiting the operators from continuing with the alleged actions.
But Both Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India strongly denied to the Press Trust of India any allegation that they are in violation of the regulations.
Questions & Answers
Q.What specific actions has Jio accused the rival operators of taking to retain customers?
What specific actions has Jio accused the rival operators of taking to retain customers?
Jio alleges that rivals are offering custom retention deals to customers considering porting, which are not publicly advertised. They also claim these offers exceed the regulatory limit on prepaid and postpaid plans and that rivals are spreading false information about Jio's network quality.
Q.What is Jio asking the telecoms regulator to do regarding these alleged violations?
What is Jio asking the telecoms regulator to do regarding these alleged violations?
Jio has requested that the regulator, Trai, issue a cease and desist order. This order would prohibit the incumbent operators from continuing with the alleged unfair and deceptive practices that Jio has highlighted in its complaint.
Q.How have Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India responded to these accusations?
How have Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India responded to these accusations?
Both Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India have strongly denied the allegations. They stated to the Press Trust of India that they are not in violation of the regulations, countering Jio's claims of unfair and deceptive practices.
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