TRAI fined operators for contravening MNP rules: Minister

New Delhi: The Indian IT and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad informed that Telecom operator Vodafone has been fined over Rs 6 lakhs for breaching mobile number portability (MNP) norms to Rajya Sabha.

India in 2010 introduced Mobile Number Portability (MNP) that allows a subscriber to shift to another operator while retaining their number.

According to him, Vodafone has been fined the most for tariff rule violations till date, while Bharti Airtel has been penalized for charging customers on new tariff without informing regulator TRAI in time.

Beside Vodafone, Aircel (Rs 2.3 lakh), Reliance Communications (RCom ) (Rs 2 lakh), Airtel (Rs 50,000), Tikona (Rs 25,000), Loop Mobile (Rs 20,000) and D-Vois broadband (Rs 30,000).

“The Telecommunication Tariff order provides that all tariffs are to be reported to TRAI within 7 working days from the date of implementation. It also provides for financial disincentive of Rs 5,000 per day for each day delay subject to a maximum of Rs 2 lakhs,” Prasad told to the Rajya Sabha members.

Earlier, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had proposed a penalty of Rs 10,000 on telecom operators for every unlawful rejection of subscriber request for change of service provider.

TRAI had also said that fine a telco 5,000 rupees if it fails to comply with a number portability request.

An announcement was made by TRAI that in case of breach, telecom operators will be fined under Telecommunication Mobile Number Portability Regulations, 2009.

With regard to mobile number portability, which allows subscribers to change their service providers while retaining the same number, all the telecom operators, except state-run firms BSNL and MTNL, have been found to have violated rules.

In the meantime, the maximum penalty for flouting of MNP regulation has been imposed on Airtel (Rs 4.6 crore), followed by Aircel (Rs 1.57 crore).

Plus, Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular are among the biggest gainers of MNP regime in terms adding new subscribers from other operators.

However, Idea Cellular’s net gain of subscribers at the end of October 2014 stood at over 1.25 crore, Vodafone 1.04 crore, Airtel 50 lakh and Reliance Telecom over 3.84 lakh, as per the data released earlier.

India’s second-largest telecom operator, Vodafone has also been fined Rs 1 crore for MNP norms violation, while Idea has been penalised about Rs 54 lakh, Tata Teleservices (Rs 19 lakh), Loop Mobile (Rs 2.41 lakh) Reliance Communication, including Reliance Telecom, (Rs 55,000, Uninor Rs 12,500 and Videocon (including Quadrant) Rs 29,000.

Interestingly, around 13 companies have been penalized for violation of telemarketing call and SMS rules.

“TRAI has imposed financial disincentives on 13 companies for over Rs 27 crore. The amount outstanding as of now is over Rs 19 crore. The outstanding is because of various representations from the telecom service providers,” said Prasad.