'Lifetime plans valid till licence lasts'

To protect the interests of pre-paid mobile phone subscribers who have signed up for lifetime offers, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India today said service providers could not hike tariffs "in lifetime tariff plans, during their entire validity period".

It also clarified that validity period of lifetime plans would be for the period licences of operators were valid and not for the lifetime of subscribers.

Trai also said "in case of tariff plans offered or marketed under lifetime schemes, users will continue to get these services as long the company is permitted to provide the service under its licence".

Additionally, service providers who offer lifetime validity plans have also been asked to inform their subscribers of the month and the year their current licences expire.

Trai also said users had the right to migrate to any tariff plan at any point of time. Following frequent complaints on billing related matters, Trai said operators would have to mandatorily audit their billing and metering systems on an annual basis.

It said the move would bring standardisation and transparency in the billing procedures followed by companies, and added that it would notify specialised agencies for certifying the metering and billing system of service providers by April 2006.

Trai directed service providers to provide in writing the complete tariff plan within a week of activation. Payments made by post-paid customers will be credited to their accounts within three days. In case of pre-paid customers, top-up credit will be applied to a customer's account within 15 minutes of its application.

On the recent show cause notices which Trai had issued to six mobile service providers, it said all operators had already submitted their reply.

The Cellular Operators Association of India had appealed to the Telecom Dispute Settlement Appellate Tribunal against the show cause notices. Since the matter is sub-judice, it had decided not to take further action on show cause notices, till the matter was decided by the tribunal, Trai added.