GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
English language

Home | MyGov

Accessibility
Accessibility Tools
Color Adjustment
Text Size
Navigation Adjustment
Screen Reader iconScreen Reader
Menus
Sticky Menu

Seeking comments on TRAI’s Consultation Paper on Differential Pricing for Data Services

Seeking comments on TRAI’s Consultation Paper on Differential Pricing for Data Services
Start Date :
Dec 10, 2015
Last Date :
Jan 15, 2016
00:00 AM IST (GMT +5.30 Hrs)
Submission Closed

The past few years have witnessed tremendous growth in data usage and quite a large number of data tariff offers are made available by the service providers. The regulatory ...

The past few years have witnessed tremendous growth in data usage and quite a large number of data tariff offers are made available by the service providers. The regulatory guidelines till now on discrimination and transparency in tariff offers were more focused to address the regulatory concerns in voice telephony. The growth of data usage and the manner in which data schemes are being designed by service providers currently, calls for a re-look at the regulatory principles of non-discriminatory tariff and transparency measures in the context of data tariff offers.

It has come to the notice of TRAI that some service providers are offering differential data tariff with free or discounted tariffs to certain contents of certain websites/applications/platforms. The objective of offering such schemes is claimed to be the desire of various service providers/content providers or platform providers to enable the consumers, especially the poor, to access certain content on the internet free of charge.
Where reduced rates are tied to specific content, potentially, both positive and negative effects arise from an economic and regulatory perspective. On the one hand, it appears to make overall internet access more affordable by reducing costs of certain types of content. On the other hand, several negative effects might ensue. Differential tariffs results in classification of subscribers based on the content they want to access (those who want to access non-participating content will be charged at a higher rate than those who want to access participating content). This may potentially go against the principle of non-discriminatory tariff.
Therefore, the potential benefits and disadvantages of such practices have to be weighed in order to determine the regulatory approach.

In this background, TRAI has issued a consultation paper on the issue of differential pricing for data services seeking comments from stakeholders on certain issues as enumerated below:

i. Should the TSPs be allowed to have differential pricing for data usage for accessing different websites, applications or platforms?

ii. If differential pricing for data usage is permitted, what measures should be adopted to ensure that the principles of non-discrimination, transparency, affordable internet access, competition and market entry and innovation are addressed?

iii. Are there alternative methods/technologies/business models, other than differentiated tariff plans, available to achieve the objective of providing free internet access to the consumers? If yes, please suggest/describe these methods/technologies/business models. Also, describe the potential benefits and disadvantages associated with such methods/technologies/business models?

Through this forum of My Gov, TRAI invites the comments of the stakeholders on the above issues by 7th January, 2015.

Consultation Paper on Differential Pricing for Data Services

Reset
Showing 1056 Submission(s)
Vaibhav Rohidas Dhage
Vaibhav Rohidas Dhage 10 years 8 months ago
Don’t allow Zero Rating, not even on a case-by-case basis Case-by-case approval of zero rating, as proposed in the report, is an invitation to lobbying and corruption. The government should make objective, unambiguous rules, not leave complex decisions affecting crores in profits to some corruptible bureaucrats. Remember that this is an industry that has already demonstrated that it has no qualms about paying huge bribes at the highest levels of government.
Dislike (0)
Reply
Report Spam
Ganesh SM
Ganesh SM 10 years 8 months ago
i. Should the TSPs be allowed to have differential pricing for data usage for accessing different websites, applications or platforms? My comments regarding this: No, not at all. there should not be different charges for each different app. Everything should be priced at data usage level, not at the App level.
Dislike (0)
Reply
Report Spam
partha sarathy
partha sarathy 10 years 8 months ago
Don’t allow Zero Rating, not even on a case-by-case basis Case-by-case approval of zero rating, as proposed in the report, is an invitation to lobbying and corruption. The government should make objective, unambiguous rules, not leave complex decisions affecting crores in profits to some corruptible bureaucrats. Remember that this is an industry that has already demonstrated that it has no qualms about paying huge bribes at the highest levels of government.
Dislike (0)
Reply
Report Spam
Shatru Naik
Shatru Naik 10 years 8 months ago
Net Neutrality means access to EVERYTHING without discrimination Don't allow telecom operators to change the definition of Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality means access to EVERYTHING on the Internet, without discrimination. Access for everyone is a different goal — universal access. We support universal access, but it must be to the public Internet, not some private walled garden. Don't allow telcos to split the internet and become gatekeepers of what the next 1 billion Indians can access.
Dislike (0)
Reply
Report Spam
Satyabrata sahoo_2
Satyabrata sahoo_2 10 years 8 months ago
Don't allow telecom operators to change the definition of Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality means access to EVERYTHING on the Internet, without discrimination. Access for everyone is a different goal — universal access. We support universal access, but it must be to the public Internet, not some private walled garden. Don't allow telcos to split the internet and become gatekeepers of what the next 1 billion Indians can access. -stop internet.org too we don't need that PLEASE SAVE THE FUTURE
Dislike (0)
Reply
Report Spam
Vinay Sunke
Vinay Sunke 10 years 8 months ago
Don’t allow Zero Rating, not even on a case-by-case basis Case-by-case approval of zero rating, as proposed in the report, is an invitation to lobbying and corruption. The government should make objective, unambiguous rules, not leave complex decisions affecting crores in profits to some corruptible bureaucrats. Remember that this is an industry that has already demonstrated that it has no qualms about paying huge bribes at the highest levels of government.
Dislike (0)
Reply
Report Spam
Yogendrasinh Vala
Yogendrasinh Vala 10 years 8 months ago
Don’t allow Zero Rating, not even on a case-by-case basis Case-by-case approval of zero rating, as proposed in the report, is an invitation to lobbying and corruption. The government should make objective, unambiguous rules, not leave complex decisions affecting crores in profits to some corruptible bureaucrats. Remember that this is an industry that has already demonstrated that it has no qualms about paying huge bribes at the highest levels of government.
Dislike (0)
Reply
Report Spam
Vivek_336
Vivek_336 10 years 8 months ago
1. I as an Indian want my freedom for communication. 2. #NetNeutrality provides me with the ability to communicate what I want in the means I want it to be. 3. #DepartmentofTelecommunications should not be the authoring body of how my Internet usage is defined. 4. I want my usage of the Internet to follow the means in which I communicate not what the Service providers dictate. I support #NetNeutrality and better #TRAI do that too.
Dislike (0)
Reply
Report Spam
Yusuf Matawala
Yusuf Matawala 10 years 8 months ago
Don't allow telecom operators to change the definition of Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality means access to EVERYTHING on the Internet, without discrimination. Access for everyone is a different goal — universal access. We support universal access, but it must be to the public Internet, not some private walled garden. Don't allow telcos to split the internet and become gatekeepers of what the next 1 billion Indians can access.
Dislike (0)
Reply
Report Spam
Sticky Menu