Trai mulls show cause notice against Vodafone Idea on priority plan issue

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is considering issuing a show-cause notice to Vodafone Idea over the priority plan issue, as the telecom regulator is not satisfied with the response given by the company on the matter so far, according to a source.

Airtel — which has stopped onboarding new customers on its platinum offering after an earlier Trai directive — may not be served a show-cause notice.

A regulatory source said that Vodafone Idea has not been able to satisfactorily respond to many of the issues raised by the Trai, including two major concerns on how the company will ensure priority services and speeds to select customers who opt for the premium offering, and how the priority plan will not adversely impact services and experience of non-premium users. The source said that the company, despite several rounds of questioning, has not been able to offer clear and direct answers to the issues raised by the Trai.

The decision on issuing the show cause will be taken in a day or so, and Vodafone Idea will be given a few days to respond to the show-cause notice and explain its position, the source added. The Trai’s decision will be based on safeguarding interest of mobile consumers, the source added.

A mail sent to Vodafone Idea on the issue did not elicit a response. The Trai is currently probing Vodafone Idea’s priority plan RedX and Bharti Airtel Platinum Offering to see if network preference to specific customers leads to deterioration of services for other non-premium subscribers or violates any norms.