BUSINESS
Bharti Airtel is likely to challenge the TRAI’s latest order on predatory pricing in the courts, chairman Sunil Mittal said
Bharti Airtel is likely to challenge the TRAI’s latest order on predatory pricing in the courts, chairman Sunil Mittal said.
Sunil Mittal said the telecom regulator's order is keeping the telecos from doing business rightfully.
“We have heard Trai's response and since the order binds us from conducting our business in an orderly manner, I cannot envisage anything other than a legal challenge to counter this order,” Mittal said.
Sunil Mittal's comments came on the sidelines of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
“We will agitate at appropriate forums to as we must be provided with the right to conduct our business in an orderly manner,” he said.
On February 16, Trai had said there was no need to place restrictions on the number of promotional offers from telecom firms as long as they were transparent, non-predatory and non-discriminatory. While releasing the Telecommunication Tariff (sixty-third amendment) Order, 2018, the regulator had said restrictions may not be in the interest of consumers apart from possibly hindering competition and there is also no need to further restrict the time period of promotional offers from the current 90 days.
However, Trai's new rules include penalty provisions of up to Rs 50 lakh per tariff plan per licensed service area if an operator is found to be guilty of predatory tariffs.
Trai said a tariff will be considered predatory, if, in a "relevant market", an operator with over 30% market share, offers services at a rate that is below the average "variable cost", with an aim to reduce competition or monopolise the said "relevant market". The definition of "relevant market" will be decided by Trai based on the relevant product against which it receives a complaint.
The issue came to the forefront with the entry of Reliance Jio in September 2016 with an offer of free voice calls and data services
Earlier, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) also lashed out at Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) saying its latest tariff order amendment strengthens the ambitions of one particular operator with deep pockets and monopolistic designs.
Without naming the new telecom player Reliance Jio, COAI in a statement said, "Over the past 12-18 months, regulation after regulation put out by Trai have ended up in distorting the competitive landscape in favour of one operator while putting all other operators at a serious disadvantage."
"An environment of regulation and policy that is not based on an equal footing will further aggravate the deep financial stress and kill future investments and innovation in an industry that has put India on the global map," Rajan Mathews, director general, COAI, said.
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