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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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Showing 1056 Submission(s)

Manraj Singh Grover 10 years 5 months ago

1.No, TSPs should not be allowed to have differential pricing because this will kill the emerging startups of the country. If allowed, well-established companies will influence TSPs to provide benefits to their service and this would lead to violation of Net Neutrality. 2.No measure can stop companies to tie-up internally and sabotage the system. 3.If free internet is what some companies want to provide,why restricting it to few websites?Please provide limited data but access to full internet.

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DIVYANSHU VERMA_9 10 years 5 months ago

I support #NetNeutrality and its access to each and every individual without Corporate barriers. No single corporation can be entitled to govern its guidelines and formation of a strict non-corporate governing body to provide internet access to everyone and sponsor programs to educate people on how to use it in their favor(Corporates can be guest but not members). Differential Data Pricing could be a solution but only for Government, Non-profits, Emergency, Educational Services only(ad-free)!

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MILIND SURESH KHADAKKAR 10 years 5 months ago

No, there should not be any discrimination about accessing internet sites.

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ruturaj rajendra 10 years 5 months ago

TSPs must have limited power . The internet penetration can be increased by directly transferring money ,equivalent to specific data volume for limited period ,to the accounts of the people who need help to access internet.

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Mohit Malviya_1 10 years 5 months ago

As we pay for any commodity,we make sure that we will be getting maximum out then why it is not in case of internet thus net neutrality must be real not virtual to have a full access what it could be.

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Girish Kumar Sahu 10 years 5 months ago

No, there should not be any discrimination about accessing internet sites. Net neutrality should be preserved at any cost. At the same time to bridge the digital divide, government should provide some basic data (May be 100 MB/month) free to needy person by framing some rule (AADHAR based). Technically it is possible, Government to by bulk data from service provider and "data transfer" to individual needy citizens mobile numbers every month AADHAR based. The cost to exchequer is neglisible.

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sweta gupta 10 years 5 months ago

Ihv trying to post this in water sanitation but no link found thts y m posting it here pls hv a look https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1037237129650800&id=1010847105623136

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RUJUTA SALUNKHE 10 years 5 months ago

My response to above questions: 1-No, differential pricing could open doors to discrimination & affect equal internet access 2-non-discrimination & differential pricing are contradictory, affordable internet access must be without selective content access that could influence new internet users adversely & do more damage than no access to internet 3-yes, the Google loon project is an example-technological innovations instead of deals with TSPs are better for taking internet to everyone

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Sunil kumar_615 10 years 5 months ago

We want net neutrality. there should be no differential data pricing. We want real net neutrality, we will not to be made dependant to any telecom company for that. So no package. We must have the freedom to get any information we want and without paying separately for any site. we should have equal access to all web based data and that would be real net neutrality. We strongly protest against any licencing policy.

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Prateek_102 10 years 5 months ago

I support net neutrality and it should be maintained. Digital India needs free access to each information rather than selected information which big players wants to be delivered to us this very thing condemn the idea of Net Neutrality. So better would be - there should be no differential data pricing. - If telecom companies really want to benefit people it can be done through achieving #17 Goals Sustainable development goals of UN through its CSR initiative, they really transform our world.

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