Differential pricing violates net neutrality, IAMAI tells TRAI

Internet & mobile cos body states the model violates telecom regulator's principles of intervening in pricing

The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), a body of internet and mobile firms, today said that differential pricing for internet access violates net neutrality and goes against Telecom Regulator Authority of India's (TRAI) stated principles of pricing.

IAMAI, in its recommendation to the telecom regulator, who had put out a consultation paper on differential pricing, said the three models explored by TRAI violates net neutrality.

"In addition to being against net neutrality, the differential pricing models suggested by TRAI prima facie also violate the regulators own stated principles of intervening in pricing," IAMAI president, Dr. Subho Ray said in a statement.

These principles as stated in the paper are non-discriminatory, transparent, non-anti competitive, non-predatory, non-ambiguous and non-misleading. "Most of the models suggested by TRAI seem to violate one or all of these principles", Dr. Ray said.

IAMAI, in its submission, agreed that there was an urgent need to connect the billion unconnected people and narrow the digital and developmental divide. However, it suggested that there were clearly other transparent and more effective ways of achieving that goal, which include investing in infrastructure for common access and providing subsidised and non-discriminatory access directly to the consumers.