New Delhi: Telecom regulator Trai has asked mobile service providers to prominently display mandatory recharge plans and special tariff vouchers on their websites, mobile apps and exclusive points of sale, according to an official order published on Thursday.
The direction came after consumer complaints, and the regulator verified that the telecom operators had placed plans on their websites and apps in a manner that they were not easily visible.
"...the Authority...hereby directs all telecom service providers to...provide a separate and clearly visible tab or section titled "TRAI-Mandated Packs" containing different types of TRAI mandated vouchers, which shall be visible as the first tab on the prepaid recharge section on the websites and mobile applications of the service providers and shall also be prominently displayed on their other exclusive points of sale," the order said.
Telecom operators have been directed to comply with the order within thirty days from the date of issuing the direction.
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Recently, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had also mandated telecom operators to issue special tariff vouchers for voice calls and SMS at a lower cost, as they will not come bundled with data services.
Under the mandate, telecom operators will have to issue special tariff vouchers (STVs) for voice calls and SMS only, similar to the existing ones that come bundled with data, voice calls and SMS, carrying validity of 30 days or less.
An STV works like a booster recharge for prepaid mobile customers, allowing them to avail of extra benefits by paying an additional amount through these vouchers, like making international calls at lower rates, adding the benefit of unlimited calls in the existing plan, among others.
While some STVs offering data services are available for a validity of up to 365 days, the new regulation focuses on vouchers with a validity of 30 days and less, the move is expected to provide relief to people in rural areas and customers with low paying capacity.
The regulator, however, came across complaints from various subscribers regarding the lack of adequate transparency, visibility and ease of access to the different types of Trai-mandated vouchers on the websites and mobile applications of the service provider.
Trai said that upon examination of the websites and mobile applications of various telecom service providers, it was observed that Trai-mandated vouchers are neither displayed prominently nor are easily accessible.
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"In some cases, these vouchers are placed under different categories or require consumers to navigate through multiple pages or screens to find them, as a result of which consumers are facing difficulty in locating and subscribing to the vouchers suitable to their requirements," the regulator said.
Trai has mandated that every telecom operator will offer at least one plan voucher, one special tariff voucher and one combo voucher having a validity of thirty days.
