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| Edited By: DNA |Source: DNA |Updated: Mar 26, 2019, 05:35 AM IST
A default option of an electronic, or e-bill, for mobile and landline users may not be a feasible model for India given the demographic structure and the literacy rate. On Monday, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) decided to continue with the practice of hard copy of bills for free as the default option unless the user chooses otherwise.
In India, the size of non e-literate people is high. There are limitations if one considers senior citizens, disadvantaged groups and rural population. About 90% of post-paid subscribers have opted for the paperless option, as per estimates. There are over a billion mobile users, out of which post-paid users will be around 7-8% or lesser.
A consultation on the issue was going on since November last year wherein one section of the industry was in favour of changing the default option to e-bill because of environmental concerns regarding the cutting of trees for paper, boost towards Digital India mission and cost of the economics of printing the bill. However, the other section dismissed environmental concerns as about 75% of the paper produced in India is from waste/recycled sources.
The regulator said it will continue to watch the progress of subscribers opting for e-bill and, if necessary, will review of this provision after a year or so. It seems a Digital India may still be far away.
