Differential pricing of data was hotly debated on Thursday during Trai’s open house discussion on the issue.
Differential pricing of data was hotly debated on Thursday during Trai’s open house discussion on the issue. On the one side, telecom operators Airtel, Vodafone, Idea and Reliance Communications argued that differential pricing for data should be allowed as it is critical to growth, others mainly from Internet and start-ups opposed it saying it will amount to curbs on freedom of choice to access the Internet. Telecom operators suggested that differential pricing of the data should not be confused with discriminatory pricing.
Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India cited tariff forbearance to justify their position. Reliance Communications said Trai had allowed differential pricing for voice and apply the same to data tariffs. “We should not confuse differential pricing with discrimination. Classical model of marketing is on a differential product for different people. There should be same policy for data and voice,” said telecom association COAI and AUSPI.
However, Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma argued against differential pricing in the country. “Telecom operators have themselves said they have plans to offer free voice calling at night. Let telecom operators offer free Internet at night from 12 am to 7 am instead of trying to judge who should see and what one should see,” said Mr Sharma. He said in this era, Indian entrepreneurs, service providers and companies should get equal access to every consumer. “Telecom operators have their own content, messaging and payment services. Once they will be given a choice to give somebody free Internet service of their own choice, I can take a bet they will not let other companies’ service go free,” Mr Sharma said.
Trai has come out with a consultation paper on the issue whether the telecom operators should be allowed to charge consumers differently for accessing different websites or apps. Trai also asked Reliance Communications to keep services of Facebook’s free Internet platform, Free Basics, in abeyance, till the issue on differential pricing is sorted out. Inturn, Facebook launched a campaign to Save Free Basics.
Indians started debating the issue of net neutrality after Bharti Airtel in December 2014 decided to charge separately for calls made over internet. However, under criticism the company was forced to suspend this decision.
