Asci Asks Bpl Mobile To Withdraw Advertisement

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), upholding a complaint from Mudra Communications, has asked BPL Mobile to withdraw or rectify an advertisment relating to its status as being Mumbais number one mobilephone service.

The ASCI earlier this month wrote back to Mudra Communications saying that its complaint has been taken note of and the company has been asked to mend its way.

Mudra Communications, on behalf of its client Hutchison Max telecom Ltd (HMTL) operating cellular phone service under Max Touch, had petitoned the ASCI late last year that BPL Mobile has been advertising as being Mumbais first mobile phone service providers which is not just unsubstantiated, but is totally false and misleading.

The complaint under reference was considered by the Consumer Complaints Council... as per their decision, the complaint has been upheld as the advertisment contravened chapter 1.1 of the (advertsing) code.The CCC concluded that the claims `Mumbais number one mobilephone service was not substantiated.

The ASCI late last month directed BPL Mobile and their advertiser to withdraw/modify appropriately this offending advertisment.

Mudra Communications had first filed a complaint against BPL Mobile on October 7, 1996 referring to an ad which appeared in Mumbai on September 26, 1996.

Department of telecommunications figures quoted in a business newspapaer in October last, Mudra had argued, authinticate the fact that Max Touch has a total of 28,912 subscribers as opposed to 25,687 subscribers of BPL Mobile. In January this year, Mudra again wrote to ASCI reminding them of the earlier complaint against BPL Mobile.