TRAI in its recent directive issued to all the telecom service providers providing broadband services, directed to be transparent with their Unlimited plans which are controlled through Fair Usage Policy (FUP). All most all ISPs in India are offering High Speed Broadband plans with unlimited usage. However, most of these plans are controlled by ISPs self defined Fair Usage Policy (FUP). Through FUP ISPs regulate the broadband plan speed and downgrad it after a certain Data Transfer limit.
TRAI has taken a serious note after considering the issues raised by various consumers and consumer organizations regarding ISPs not presenting and delivering broadband services in a transparent manner; and service providers are not providing adequate information to the consumers regarding broadband services including broadband plans with Fair Usage Policy (FUP).
TRAI has also pointed out that some ISPs downgrade the Broadband speed below 256Kbps violating TRAI’s definition of ”Broadband” stated in Quality of Service of Broadband Service Regulations, 2006 (11 of 2006). TRAI has also stressed on the implementation of various mechanisms to inform customer about his usage; some of them are through SMS or a popup information at network login.
Considering these complaints, TRAI has directed ISPs to ensure following directions with immediate effect.
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Extract from TRAI directive dated 27th July 2012 (4-1/2011-BB & PA )
In order to ensure more transparency in delivery of broadband services and to protect interests of consumers in the telecom sector and to facilitate further growth of broadband services in India and for the reasons mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, hereby directs all the telecom service providers providing broadband services to :
(a) provide on their website and also in all advertisements published through any media, the following information in respect of all broadband tariff plans offered under Fair Usage Policy: -
(i) data usage limit with higher speed;
(ii) speed of connection upto data usage limit; and
(iii) speed of connection beyond data usage limit;
(b) provide information specified in para (a) in printed form to the new subscribers on their enrolment and to existing subscribers through email on their registered email address and through SMS on their mobile numbers registered with the service providers;
(c) ensure that speed of broadband connection is not reduced, in all broadband tariff plans, below the minimum speed specified in Quality of Service of Broadband Service Regulations 2006;
(d) provide alert to the customer at the time of login to the network of the service provider when his data usage reaches eighty percent of the data usage limit bundled with the plan and to ensure that such alert shall be provided at each login after data usage crosses the said limit of eighty percent; and
(e) send alert to the customer either through SMS on his mobile number registered with the service provider or to his registered email, each time when the data usage by the customer reaches eighty percent and hundred percent of the data usage limit bundled with plan opted by the customer, or through Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) at each login by the customer after the data usage reaches eighty percent of the data usage limit bundled with his plan.
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TRAI has taken a serious note after considering the issues raised by various consumers and consumer organizations regarding ISPs not presenting and delivering broadband services in a transparent manner; and service providers are not providing adequate information to the consumers regarding broadband services including broadband plans with Fair Usage Policy (FUP).
TRAI has also pointed out that some ISPs downgrade the Broadband speed below 256Kbps violating TRAI’s definition of ”Broadband” stated in Quality of Service of Broadband Service Regulations, 2006 (11 of 2006). TRAI has also stressed on the implementation of various mechanisms to inform customer about his usage; some of them are through SMS or a popup information at network login.
Considering these complaints, TRAI has directed ISPs to ensure following directions with immediate effect.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Extract from TRAI directive dated 27th July 2012 (4-1/2011-BB & PA )
In order to ensure more transparency in delivery of broadband services and to protect interests of consumers in the telecom sector and to facilitate further growth of broadband services in India and for the reasons mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, hereby directs all the telecom service providers providing broadband services to :
(a) provide on their website and also in all advertisements published through any media, the following information in respect of all broadband tariff plans offered under Fair Usage Policy: -
(i) data usage limit with higher speed;
(ii) speed of connection upto data usage limit; and
(iii) speed of connection beyond data usage limit;
(b) provide information specified in para (a) in printed form to the new subscribers on their enrolment and to existing subscribers through email on their registered email address and through SMS on their mobile numbers registered with the service providers;
(c) ensure that speed of broadband connection is not reduced, in all broadband tariff plans, below the minimum speed specified in Quality of Service of Broadband Service Regulations 2006;
(d) provide alert to the customer at the time of login to the network of the service provider when his data usage reaches eighty percent of the data usage limit bundled with the plan and to ensure that such alert shall be provided at each login after data usage crosses the said limit of eighty percent; and
(e) send alert to the customer either through SMS on his mobile number registered with the service provider or to his registered email, each time when the data usage by the customer reaches eighty percent and hundred percent of the data usage limit bundled with plan opted by the customer, or through Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) at each login by the customer after the data usage reaches eighty percent of the data usage limit bundled with his plan.
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