New Delhi: Aiming to simplify the tariff plans offered by telecom service providers, sector regulator TRAI today proposed to reduce the number of such plans to be provided by operators in each licensed area to below 25.

In a consultation paper on Issues arising out of plethora of tariff offers in Access Service Provision, TRAI said increased competition among the service providers has resulted in a large number of tariff offers being made by the service providers to acquire and retain subscribers.

In the current tariff regulation, tariffs are foreborne except for fixed rural line services, national roaming in mobile services and leased circuits. The service providers have been given the flexibility to report their tariff plans to the regulator and TRAI has put a cap on the number of plans that can be provided by an access service provider at 25.

It said that as and when there are any changes in any aspect of tariff in the chosen package, the operator should intimate, in writing, such changes to those subscribers whose tariff packages undergo a change. It also said that no chargeable Value Added Services (VAS) should be provided to a customer without his consent.

Any Value Added Services which was earlier provided free of charge shall not be made chargeable without the explicit consent of the user, it added.
Any tariff plan presented, marketed or offered as having long term or lifetime or unlimited validity in lieu of an upfront payment shall continue to be available to the subscriber for the duration of the period as prescribed in the plan, it added. TRAI has invited stakeholders comments by February 28.

Source : PTI