TRAI floats consultation paper on data speeds in broadband plans

Aiming to ensure transparency and customer awareness regarding data speeds under wireless broadband plans, telecom regulator TRAI on Thursday issued a consultation paper seeking stakeholders' opinion.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has invited comments from stakeholders by June 29 and counter-comments by July 13.

The consultation paper 'Data Speed Under Wireless Broadband Plans' said: "The surge in the number of broadband connections in the country has been accompanied by increasing reports of consumer dissatisfaction with the speed of data being provided to them under wireless broadband plan."

"Consumer empowerment and protection is a critical element of a well-functioning telecom market," it added.

The paper said, ideally, consumers who are dissatisfied with the services or prices offered by their operator should be able to easily switch to another provider, creating incentives for providers to innovate and offer competitive prices and quality of services.

"The widespread adoption of wireless broadband services in the last few quarters makes it particularly important to take into account the problems that may be faced by the users of these services, particularly in relation to data speeds," the paper added.