A telecom tribunal will hear on August 18 a petition of Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular challenging the decision of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to allow Reliance Jio to continue its free offers beyond the stipulated 90 days.
The two offers in reference are ‘Jio Welcome Offer’ and the ‘Happy New Year offer’.
The petition by Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular against the TRAI order was listed for hearing today at the Telecom Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). The petitioners, Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular, had sought time to file their response to Reliance Jio’s reply. The matter is now scheduled for hearing on August 18.
Jio had launched its inaugural free voice and data plan in September last year, and in December, extended the freebies up to March 2017. Following this, the established players — Airtel and Idea — moved the tribunal against the TRAI order that allowed the Mukesh Ambani-led telecom company to provide free services beyond the stipulated 90 day period.
On January 31, TRAI held that Jio’s free voice calls and data plan were not in violation of the regulatory guidelines. The regulator also concluded that the ‘Happy New Year Offer’ launched by Jio on December 4, 2016, was distinct from the previous ‘Jio Welcome Offer’ and could not be treated as an extension of the promotional offer as the benefits under both differed.
Reliance Jio started charging customers for its 4G services from April 1.