The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has blocked Bharti Airtel’s Platinum and Vodafone Idea’s RedX premium plans that offer faster data speeds and priority services to customers as both the plans were violating net neutrality norms. The telecom watchdog has asked Bharti Airtel to explain within seven days how such a similar plan being launched does not violate the rules of net neutrality. Vodafone Idea’s RedX plan has been in the market since November 2019. They made some modifications in May 2020 and the Bharti Airtel was soon going to launch a similar plan. According to TRAI, the higher speed for premium customers discriminate against others and violates net neutrality. Responding to TRAI’s move, Airtel spokesperson said: “We are passionate about delivering the best network and service experience to all our customers. This is why we have a relentless obsession to eliminate faults and have been consistently recognised by international agencies as the best network in terms of speed, latency and video experience.” “At the same time, we want to keep raising the bar for our post-paid customers in terms of service and responsiveness. This is an ongoing effort at our end,” the spokesperson said.
