Vodafone Idea defends REDX plan; says telcos under financial stress after catering to growing data needs

Struggling telecom operator Vodafone Idea has informed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) that its new pay-more-for-priority-experience REDX plan is just another tariff plan and not a new service, news agency PTI reported. The telecom regulator has asked Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel to clarify what impact their new plans will have on existing customers who do not opt in for their premium offering. Vodafone Idea dragged TRAI to the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) for blocking its premium plan. Although TDSAT has given a stay order in favour of Vodafone Idea, the probe into the plans by TRAI has not been stopped.

The regulator had said that Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel should have been informed of it separately before launching their plans. TRAI said that it wanted to examine different aspects of these plans before such services were launched. “”It is not a new service and the service remains the same. A new tariff plan is not a new service,” PTI quoted Vodafone Idea’s reply to Trai on the priority plan.