Trai asks Jio to end 'discriminatory' tariff plans, sets April 14 deadline

The telecom regulator has asked the Reliance group firm to make all tariff plans uniformly available across platforms to ensure transparency and consumer choice

India’s telecom regulator has directed Reliance Jio, the country’s largest telco by subscriber base, to discontinue certain tariff practices it found to be in violation of transparency norms and “discriminatory”, according to a Mint report.

 

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has given the company time till April 14 to comply with two key directives, which are - ensuring uniform publication of tariff plans across platforms and removing device-specific restrictions on certain offerings.

 

Jio, which has over 500 million subscribers, has maintained that it complies with regulatory guidelines. The company told the regulator that its tariff plans are based on “intelligible criteria” and cannot be treated as discriminatory.

 

 

Trai flags limited availability of plans

 

Trai’s action follows a probe initiated in August 2025 after Jio discontinued certain entry-level prepaid plans offering 1 GB data per day. The operator had said these were available only through its retail stores.

 

The investigation found that special tariff vouchers (STVs) priced at ₹249 and ₹199 were available only via Jio Stores, while a ₹209 STV could be accessed solely through the MyJio mobile application.

 

In a letter, the regulator said such limited availability violates the principle of transparency, as these plans were not accessible across all platforms including retail outlets, customer care centres, websites and apps.

 

Trai also noted that this practice was not in line with its September 2020 direction mandating telecom operators to publish tariff plans across all platforms for consumers.

 

Device-specific tariffs termed discriminatory

 

The regulator further flagged Jio’s device-specific tariffs, particularly those tied to JioPhone and JioBharat feature phones, as “discriminatory”.

 

These low-cost 4G devices come bundled with exclusive recharge plans that are not available to users on other smartphones. Trai said such restrictions violate the principle of non-discrimination and must be removed.

 

The regulator directed Jio to restructure these offerings so that they are accessible across all devices on par with other tariff plans.

 

“The availability of tariff offers across all platforms is imperative,” Trai said, adding that forcing customers to visit different channels for different plans goes against the spirit of the Telecommunication Tariff Order, 1999.

 

Jio defends stance

 

In its response to the regulator, Jio argued that the 2020 directive relates only to tariff publication and does not prescribe how or where tariffs should be sold.

 

The company also said certain offerings, such as, first-time recharges and postpaid plans, cannot be sold online. On device-specific tariffs, it maintained that JioPhone and JioBharat plans are based on a distinct user segment and are therefore not arbitrary.

 

However, Trai rejected these arguments, stating that publication and availability of tariffs are “inherently interconnected” and cannot be treated separately.

 

The regulator also observed that such device-linked plans could restrict consumer choice by effectively tying users to a specific operator for the lifetime of the device, thereby undermining mobile number portability.

 

Compliance deadline and penalties

 

Under Trai’s directive, Jio must:

• Publish all tariff plans, including STVs, across all platforms
• Make device-specific tariffs available to all users irrespective of device

Failure to comply could attract penalties under the Trai Act, 1997. These include fines of up to ₹1 lakh for the first offence, ₹2 lakh for subsequent violations, and additional daily penalties for continued non-compliance.