Broadband consumers not getting due?

Acting on complaints received from consumers and consumer organiation, Telecom regulator TRAI today directed telecom companies to provide broadband services in a transparent manner and through updated information.


"Authority has been receiving complaints...that service providers are not delivering broadband services in a transparent manner as they are not providing adequate information to the consumers regarding broadband services," Trai said while asking telecom service providers to take care of these issues.


Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said that the complaints include broadband plans with Fair Usage Policy (FUP) which is making it difficult for the consumers to make an informed choice regarding plans on offer.

Taking note of the issue, Trai directed telecom companies to alert customers either through SMS on their mobile or registered email, each time when usage by the customer reaches 80 and 100 per cent of the limit bundled in broadband plan subscribed by him.


The regulator has even directed the telecom service providers to alert customers through Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) in this regard.

USSD are messages sent to alert user at end of each call or sms to inform about balance, mostly in pre-paid connections.

TRAI has asked telecom companies to provide information data usage limit with higher speed, speed of connection upto and beyond data usage limit in printed form to the new subscribers on their enrollment and to existing subscribers through email and through SMS.


The regulator directed all telecom service provider to ensure that speed of broadband connection is not reduced, in all broadband tariff plans, below the minimum download speed of 256 kbps, to an individual subscriber.