The Hindu : Business : ‘Waive processing fee on recharges’

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Tuesday, Sep 02, 2008
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‘Waive processing fee on recharges’

Sandeep Joshi

Customers on the lifetime plans can migrate

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Monday asked all telecom operators to waive the processing fee on recharges and give full talk-time to its subscribers, a move that will mainly help pre-paid subscribers.

“A subscriber having validity need not pay more than Rs. 2 as fixed fee other than applicable taxes if he uses a talk-time voucher exclusively meant for augmenting talk-time,” said a telecom tariff order issued by the regulatory body. The new measures would be applicable for all subscribers, new and existing, from September 15.

TRAI said it was brought to its notice that telecom companies were deducting a fixed amount even for recharges exclusively meant for providing talk-time to subscribers who already have validity. As such subscribers had already obtained validity by paying a fixed fee, the authority felt that levy of a second processing fee when the customer buys talk time through exclusive top-ups is unjustified.

TRAI has also asked telecom operators to make the tariff related information available in regional languages also other than English as operators would now venture into semi-urban and rural areas where local language is the primary mode of communication.

Similarly, existing customers on the lifetime plans can migrate to new lifetime plans with lower entry fee without having to make additional payment or recharges, while lifetime customers need not recharge more than once in six months for remaining connected.

TRAI has also said subscribers would automatically get the benefit of straight tariff reductions without any preconditions of any explicit action by the subscriber, while no change in mobile number would be done when subscriber change tariff plans or move from prepaid to post-paid or vice versa.

TRAI has also limited “blackout days” (customary or festival days on which free, concessional calls or SMS are not available) to a maximum of five in a calendar year.

Such days to be pre-specified and no subsequent alteration or addition permitted, it added.

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