The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday claimed that customers’ DTH and cable bills will come down following the new tariff norms for the broadcasting sector that came into effect on February 1.
TRAI Chairman R.S. Sharma said that the data sourced by the regulator from two operators shows that prices had come down in Mumbai and Delhi under the new framework. “There is a reduction of 10-15 % on average for most of the users in these regions,” he added.
The statement follows a recent Crisil report as per which the tariffs for TV users could go up by 25% due to the new framework.
“The overarching objective of the new framework is not price. It is more important that consumers will get a choice and it will increase transparency in the sector,” he said.
The regulator said migration to the new system by and large was smooth. However, it had received consumer complaints related to websites of some operators bring down due to heavy traffic and had asked players to ensure that their websites are up and running.
“Consumers must have a choice...and interfering with their freedom is a violation of regulatory framework,” Mr. Sharma said.
