The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has made live its portal to compare tariffs of various telecom service providers, pushing for user convenience and transparency. The website, www.tariff.trai.gov.in, has been launched in its beta version and shows tariffs only for the Delhi circle as of now. The allows users to choose between different types of service that telcos provide: internet (2G, 3G, 4G), voice calling, messaging, among others, and compare rates. For easy access, various tariff plans and other tariff instruments are provided at TRAI website in downloadable format, TRAI said. The authority has asked for user feedback through an option on its portal. New rules on tariff transparency This initiative is a part of TRAI’s move to control predatory pricing in the telecom sector. In February, it released new rules saying that if a service is provided at a price below the average variable cost with the intention to reduce competition or eliminate competitors, it will be termed predatory pricing and be barred. The authority held the view that telcos offer special discounted tariffs and packages to users in certain circles, which they do not display on their websites. Under these rules, TRAI had also mandated that telcos must notify it within seven days of any new tariffs or changes. In March, the authority sent a notice to Airtel for not complying with its tariff reporting requirements. It said that Airtel did not inform about certain segmented tariffs offered to consumers to retain them. The new rules change…
