The demand for smartphones and mobile connectivity has increased drastically during this lockdown. People are consuming more data than usual. Telcos Extend Current Prepaid Plan Validity.
Telcos Extend Current Prepaid Plan Validity:
As lockdown is extended till 3rd My, TRAI wants the telecom operators to extend the validity of the current prepaid plans. But this is not their liability, Telcom operators have to come forward to show their support. Already, the telecom operators have given b=benefits of 600 crores to the users.
TRAI Asks The Telcos To Extend Validity:
PM Narendra Modi has announced that lockdown will be extended till 3rd May. TRAI has urged all the telecom operators to extend their validity of current prepaid plans.
TRAI Sends Letter To Telcos:
Recently TRAI had sent a letter to the telecom operators asking them to increase the validity of the plans. TRAI has also told them that due to lockdown, users are facing problem in recharging their plans.
Most of the people who live in rural areas don’t recharge their plans online. Usually, they go to local vendors to recharge their plans. Mainly this is the reason why TRAI is urging the major telecoms like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone to extend their plans for some more days.
What The Telecom Operators Are Going To Do:
The telecom operators are monitoring the situation. They will take action accordingly which is the most suitable for them as well as users. All the major telecoms like Reliance Jio, Airtel, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Vodafone has already extended their plans till 17th April 2020.
TRAI’s Assurance:
TRAI has assured all the telecom operators that they will compensate for the loss they are facing due to lockdown.
There is a possibility that the subsidy to the operators can be offered with the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) which has Rs 51,500 crore cash lying idle with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
