The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has proposed that data services should be activated or deactivated only with the explicit consent of the subscriber through toll free short code 1925.

The telecom service providers would then follow the prescribed procedures for obtaining explicit consent of the consumer and for deactivation of data.

Further, the customers should also be informed through SMS at periodic intervals, not exceeding six months, about the prescribed procedure for deactivation of data, TRAI said in Draft Telecom Consumers Protection (Eighth Amendment) Regulations, 2015.

The regulator said it has been receiving several complaints from consumers regarding non-availability of information relating to the amount of data used during a data session.

The service providers offer concessional tariff for data, up to a certain limit, through special tariff vouchers or combo vouchers (data packs) and also through certain tariff plans.

However, the tariff for any usage beyond the specified limit is substantially higher. In case the customer does not know about reaching the limit for concessional tariff, it results in substantial charges levied, leading to sudden bill shock or unexpected deduction of balance amount, it said.

“The consumers have also voiced their concern about activation of Internet service on mobile phones without their consent and knowledge leading to sudden deduction of charges for data usage,” it said.

Therefore, after examining these complaints, TRAI felt that measures need to be taken for addressing these genuine concerns of customers.

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