Telecom giant Vodafone India gets relief from the suspension of premium services put forth by TRAI in the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal on Friday.
While posting the matter on 17th August, TDSAT allowed the telecom to get new customers for its premium tariff plans as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India lacked prima facie reasons.
Previously TRAI put a hold on premium plans offered by telecoms, including Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, etc., claiming that they degraded the services offered to their normal userbase while providing better services to the premium customer base.
Surprised to receive the letter of suspension of services by the TRAI, Vodafone moved to TDSAT (1) on account of the unfair claims of the telecom authority.
Vodafone RedX premium plan launched
Vodafone Idea has been planning to launch its premium plan called RedX for its customers for over eight months. Vodafone’s RedX, a limited edition postpaid plan, will allow users to get airport lounge access, Netflix, Amazon Prime, unlimited data, calls, and an International Roaming pack.
Since TDSAT’s temporary stay is exclusively for Vodafone Idea, it is not clear if Bharti Airtel would be able to offer its premium plan to new customers. However, Airtel has not moved to the tribunal in this case yet, and there’s no decision yet on whether it would take the legal route as well.
While granting the relief, TDSAT had asked Vodafone Idea to respond to TRAI’s questionnaire by 22nd July, which referred to the authority’s concern for transparency or the lack of it, which may have misled customers into subscribing to the various tariff plans.
However, the Telecom Regulator Authority of India said that it would be investigating further the see if there’s any change in mobile data experience, and is no marketing gimmick.
