- The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is set to reject
differential pricing for data services, a move that would mean the end of
controversial services like Facebook’s Free Basics and Airtel Zero,
highly-placed sources told the Times of
India.
-
Trai will issue an order to this effect within a week, the
- The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is set to reject
differential pricing for data services, a move that would mean the end of
controversial services like Facebook’s Free Basics and Airtel Zero,
highly-placed sources told the Times of
India.
- Trai will issue an order to this effect within a week, the
newspaper reported, quoting top sources.
- The order is also expected to bar free or subsidised data
packages that offer access to only select services, such as Facebook, Twitter
or WhatsApp messenger. “These are discriminatory and are against the
concept of digital democracy. We will not allow them,” a source said.
- The regulator’s stand will clear the confusion over net
neutrality. There were apprehensions over the manner in which free Internet was
being offered, after the introduction of some zero-rated platforms with
preferential treatment to a few websites for a fee.
- This will come as a big setback for Facebook and Airtel,
which have campaigned heavily for zero-rated platforms.
- Facebook has spent close to Rs 300 crore on Free Basics ad
campaigns in India, the Mint said in
a recent report.
- Out of the Rs 300 crores, the social network put in Rs
180-200 crore on print ads, which is believed to be the most for any medium.
Facebook has been in recent weeks running full-page advertisements in multiple
newspapers, urging people to support its Free Basics campaign.
- Free Basics campaign has been alleged to violate net
neutrality by differentiating Internet access for certain types of services.
- In December, Trai had last month floated a consultation
paper on differential data pricing, with the last date for comments on December
30 and for counter comments on January 7.
- Trai has received a record 2.4 million comments
on the paper.
