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    Telecom regulator wants telcos to extend validity of all prepaid packs

    Synopsis

    Telecom service providers Airtel, Jio, Vodafone Idea and state-run BSNL had earlier extended the prepaid pack validity of their low-average revenue per user subscribers and talktime credits till up to a week after April 14-the last day of the 21-day lockdown announced last month. But no call has been taken on extending the benefits further.

    Telecom.bccl
    NEW DELHI | KOLKATA: The telecom regulator wants telcos to extend the validity of all prepaid packs till at least May 3, the new end date for the coronavirus-led lockdown, so that subscribers who need to walk into a physical store for a recharge don’t face disconnection.

    Telecom service providers Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea and state-run BSNL had earlier extended the prepaid pack validity of their low-average revenue per user (ARPU) subscribers and talktime credits till up to a week after April 14--the last day of the 21-day lockdown announced last month. But no call has been taken on extending the benefits further.

    “It’s for them to come forward and announce extension of the offers for prepaid customers since the lockdown period is now extended," a senior official at the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) told ET, referring to the telecom service providers.

    On Tuesday, the government said the stay-at-home order to curb the spread of Covid-19 would be in place till May 3.

    Rajan S Mathews, director-general of Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said, “Operators will continue to monitor the situation and decide on appropriate means to meet the needs of customers.". The COAI represents Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea.

    Airtel and VIL had extended the pre-paid pack validity and also given some talktime credits till April 17 for around 180 million of their combined nearly 600 million user base, while BSNL had extended these till April 20. Jio had offered 100 minutes of calls and 100-odd text messages for free for their around 90 million JioPhone users, also till April 17.

    Trai wanted the telcos to extend the offers to more subscribers, but the three private carriers, via COAI, pushed back, saying the government would need to compensate them for it from the USO Fund.

    The regulator on Tuesday followed up by writing to Airtel, Jio, VIL, BSNL and MTNL to provide a detailed break-up of the number of prepaid users who ran out of balance on the eve of the initial 21-day lockdown and did not recharge on their own till midnight of April 13. It has also asked them to indicate what percentage of their respective prepaid user bases these customers made up on March 24 midnight – the eve of the initial lockdown.

    In identical letters to all five telcos, Trai also sought details of the number of prepaid users who were given a talktime credit of Rs 10 (or more) to ensure continuous connectively during the initial lockdown. It has also sought details of what percentage of the total prepaid user base these customers made up for each telco on March 24. ET has seen a copy of these letters.




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    ( Originally published on Apr 14, 2020 )
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