Mobile operators affected by the Supreme Court ruling are not only fighting to keep their businesses running but also for retaining their customers in their fold.
Operators, including Uninor and Sistema Shyam, say that incumbent players are using unethical means to lure away customers.
“It has been brought to our attention by our customers in some circles that they are being sent SMSes by some of the competing mobile operators and their trade partners. We have informed the leadership of these operators about such an unethical activity. Should this activity continue, we plan to take this issue up with the relevant authorities,” said a spokesperson for Sistema Shyam.
There are 70 million mobile subscribers on the new players' network. Since these companies are facing licence cancellation, incumbent players have started advertising urging their subscribers to shift using Mobile Number Portability.
“I did not expect such unethical behaviour from the incumbent players. We are not dead yet. We have also raised the issue with the Cellular Operators' Association Of India,” said Mr Sigve Brekke, Head of Telenor's Asia operations. Uninor is planning its own advertising campaign to tell its consumers that its network is very much in operations.
But incumbent players said there was no unethical means being adopted. “customer acquisition is a constant exercise in a competitive market. This is not something we started doing just because of the Supreme Court order. Even new players tried to lure customers through uneconomical tariffs when they started services,” said one of the incumbent players.