SC upholds Trai’s appeal, asks Airtel, Vi to share details of all segmented offers with regulator

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered Bharti Airtel NSE -1.62 % and Vodafone Idea NSE 1.18 % (Vi) to disclose to the telecom regulator all segmented or ‘specific offers’ made to their subscribers, delivering a jolt to the two companies that say submission of such details could end up violating commercial confidentiality and help rivals poach their customers. A three-judge apex court bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde addressed this concern and directed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to keep details of such segmented offers confidential and ensure they are not disclosed to any competitors or any other person. The ruling came as the apex court upheld the Trai’s appeal against an almost two-year-old telecom tribunal order that set aside a regulation requiring telcos to report all tariffs in the interests of transparency and non-discrimination.