Regulator might raise validity of data packs

Currently, pack validity is for 90 days max, leaving a lot of data unused, due to which effective price per MB of data is much higher

Sectoral regulator Trai is looking at increasing the validity of data packs to 365 days from the current 90 days as it looks to address the concerns of marginal consumers.

Releasing the draft Telecom Consumers Protection (Tenth Amendment) Regulations, 2016, the regulator said stakeholders can send their comments by July 26.

The present regulatory regime allows telecom service providers to offer data services in the form of special tariff voucher (STV) either exclusively or in combination of other tariff items with a maximum permitted validity of 90 days.

However, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said many consumers, who have recently begun using wireless Internet, consume much less data and therefore, a significant portion of the volume of data offered in the data-packs subscribed by them remains unutilised by the time the expiry date of data-pack arrives.

"The unutilised data in the data-pack is forfeited upon expiry of the period of validity. As a result, the effective price per Megabyte of data to such consumers turns out to be much higher," Trai said.

It further said requests have been received in Trai seeking longer validity for data-packs apparently to address the concerns of marginal consumers of wireless Internet.

"Keeping in view, it appears reasonable to keep the maximum period of validity for the "data only" STVs, which are intended to be offered to attract marginal consumers, first-time data users and price-sensitive consumers, as one year (365 days)," Trai said.

The proposed amendment envisages that data packs benefits would be allowed to be offered for 365 days validity instead of maximum 90 days allowed now.