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Department of Telecom

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Seeking comments on TRAI’s Consultation Paper on Differential Pricing for Data Services

Start Date :

Dec 10, 2015

Last Date :

Jan 15, 2016

00:00 AM IST (GMT +5.30 Hrs)

Submission Closed

The past few years have witnessed tremendous growth in data usage and quite a large number of data tariff offers are made available by the service providers. The regulatory ...

The past few years have witnessed tremendous growth in data usage and quite a large number of data tariff offers are made available by the service providers. The regulatory guidelines till now on discrimination and transparency in tariff offers were more focused to address the regulatory concerns in voice telephony. The growth of data usage and the manner in which data schemes are being designed by service providers currently, calls for a re-look at the regulatory principles of non-discriminatory tariff and transparency measures in the context of data tariff offers.

It has come to the notice of TRAI that some service providers are offering differential data tariff with free or discounted tariffs to certain contents of certain websites/applications/platforms. The objective of offering such schemes is claimed to be the desire of various service providers/content providers or platform providers to enable the consumers, especially the poor, to access certain content on the internet free of charge.
Where reduced rates are tied to specific content, potentially, both positive and negative effects arise from an economic and regulatory perspective. On the one hand, it appears to make overall internet access more affordable by reducing costs of certain types of content. On the other hand, several negative effects might ensue. Differential tariffs results in classification of subscribers based on the content they want to access (those who want to access non-participating content will be charged at a higher rate than those who want to access participating content). This may potentially go against the principle of non-discriminatory tariff.
Therefore, the potential benefits and disadvantages of such practices have to be weighed in order to determine the regulatory approach.

In this background, TRAI has issued a consultation paper on the issue of differential pricing for data services seeking comments from stakeholders on certain issues as enumerated below:

i. Should the TSPs be allowed to have differential pricing for data usage for accessing different websites, applications or platforms?

ii. If differential pricing for data usage is permitted, what measures should be adopted to ensure that the principles of non-discrimination, transparency, affordable internet access, competition and market entry and innovation are addressed?

iii. Are there alternative methods/technologies/business models, other than differentiated tariff plans, available to achieve the objective of providing free internet access to the consumers? If yes, please suggest/describe these methods/technologies/business models. Also, describe the potential benefits and disadvantages associated with such methods/technologies/business models?

Through this forum of My Gov, TRAI invites the comments of the stakeholders on the above issues by 7th January, 2015.

Consultation Paper on Differential Pricing for Data Services

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Hasibul Islam 10 years 7 months ago

Net neutrality shouldn't be defined by Telcos. Everything in the Internet should be treated as equal, and everybody should be able to access everything without any discrimination, about the service, or the app, or the data plan, or the service provider. #TRAI, #DataServices, #MyGov

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Bhaskar M 10 years 7 months ago

Based on my research,I don't want Net Neutrality to be defined by telecom companies.I don't want telecommunication companies controlling what i access on the internet. I don't want telecommunication companies to charge differently for different websites. I want to be able to access anything, at anytime, without having to pay more for it separately. I want access to all of the internet, for all of the people, all of the time and access to everything and not just some select parts of the internet.

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Albert Pattali 10 years 7 months ago

i. No, the TSPs should not do so because it is against Net Neutrality and India is supposed to support it rather than discriminate it. ii.If by any chance it is implemented then the TRAI should make sure that the tariff is equal. iii.Yes, there are other ways to provide free internet among the citizens and netizens of India. One way is to uphold the current system but lowering the tariff.Another way would be if the government collaborated with another TSP(s) to provide free internet.

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swati jethwani 10 years 7 months ago

I don't want Net Neutrality to be defined by telecom companies.I don't want telecommunication companies controlling what i access on the internet. I don't want telecommunication companies to charge differently for different websites. I want to be able to access anything, at anytime, without having to pay more for it separately. I want access to all of the internet, for all of the people, all of the time and access to everything and not just some select parts of the internet.

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Haridwar Rajshri 10 years 7 months ago

I want the real net neutrality not the telecom operators defined net neutrality.I urge you to protect Net Neutrality,and not allow telecom operators to manipulate how consumers consume content on the Internet by instituting anti-neutrality practices. I want the right to access anything and everything on the Internet by paying for data only not paying various price for access different website/app/service. DoT please Save The net Neutrality.

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Subhamoy Ghosal 10 years 7 months ago

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vijay gupta 10 years 7 months ago

I would like to thank the TRAI for introducing the Consultation Paper on Differential Pricing for Data Services. Differential pricing of data is a core Net Neutrality issue. I urge you to protect Net Neutrality, and not allow telecom operators to manipulate how consumers consume content on the Internet by instituting anti-neutrality practices. The principle of Net Neutrality is that ISPs and telecom operators do not give a competitive advantage to any website, app or platform. #TRAI,#Internet

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VIKRAM_18 10 years 7 months ago

We should have access to everything on same rate. We want net neutrality. Licence Raj is over don't enforce it again via few websites. India is country of Start up as per Modiji. Already Bangalore is living hell due to traffic, it can be hell because of differential pricing.

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UPIKA SARASWAT 10 years 7 months ago

we want net neutrality, which should not be defined by the telecom companies. that provide us access to everything, anytime that's available on internet. I do not want telcos to control the access to internet. we should not be charged differently for different websites.we don't want licensing for whatsapp, viber or any other app I use.

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RakeshGopireddy 10 years 7 months ago

I don't support differential pricing for data services, differential pricing will kill the start ups / small companies and new ideas .

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