Sad News Airtel, Idea and Vodafone now requires you to recharge with a minimum pack to keep your sim alive

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TJ_DJ said:
There is certainly injustice in the system. Read the TRAI handbook (link given in my previous post). It clearly states that if a "non-usage" period of 90 days is observed, then the telcos may deduct Rs 20 and further extend the "non-usage" period by 30 days at a time. This means that so long as there is sufficient balance in main account of the prepaid number, the number can not be permanently deactivated. This is as per mentioned in TRAI Handbook.

Excerpt from TRAI Handbook:
Deactivation of a mobile connection due to non-usage
  • No Prepaid mobile connection shall be deactivated on account of non-usage for a minimum period of 90 days.
  • Non-usage means absence of any incoming or outgoing call or outgoing SMS or data session or usage or value added services or payment of rental.
  • Beyond 90 days, an amount not exceeding Rs 20 shall be deducted from the Pre-paid account, if balance is available, for extension of the period of non-usage by 30 days at a time.
TRAI Handbook link: https://main.trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/TRAI_Handbook_2018_Eng.pdf

Now the question: Why do I have so much balance in main account? It is because, earlier, due to a prior TRAI rule, it was required to recharge minimum Rs 200 every 6 months, and rightfully abiding by TRAI rules, I did such recharges (although telcos were not enforcing the deactication if not done). I did follow the rules that time, and so have got this balance in my main account.

My only concern is - now the telcos should follow the current rule of TRAI, because me (and all other users) did follow the previous rule of TRAI as well.
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A lot has changed behind the scenes from earlier times. Earlier the operators used to earn 28p/min for incoming calls which the calling operators used to pay the operators on whose network the calls were terminating (calling party pays), this reduced to 14p/min and it's now down to 6p/min and from January 2020 it will be 0p/min where Indian telecom will shift from calling party pays to Bill and keep framework. Older telcos like Airtel Vodafone idea still run voice service on legacy 2G networks which incur a charge for incoming calls and when the calling operators are not going to compensate for this, the legacy operators will have to pay for this from their pockets and eventually shut business. The only way they can give free incoming is if they shut 2G 3G and become pure 4G operators like Jio which is why Jio never deactivates incoming calls even when u don't recharge.
So if you need free incoming without recharging, port the number to Jio or do the minimum recharge in the older operators networks and wait for them to become pure 4G players.
 
esmoteric said:
I haven't recharged my spare Jio number in over 6 months now, and incoming is working fine.
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Consider yourself lucky. They don't keep incoming active for that long. It's not about whether or not they can give incoming free, it's about ARPU. They obviously can't give free service to anyone. My incoming stops immediately after my plan expires.
 
esmoteric said:
A lot has changed behind the scenes from earlier times. Earlier the operators used to earn 28p/min for incoming calls which the calling operators used to pay the operators on whose network the calls were terminating (calling party pays), this reduced to 14p/min and it's now down to 6p/min and from January 2020 it will be 0p/min where Indian telecom will shift from calling party pays to Bill and keep framework. Older telcos like Airtel Vodafone idea still run voice service on legacy 2G networks which incur a charge for incoming calls and when the calling operators are not going to compensate for this, the legacy operators will have to pay for this from their pockets and eventually shut business. The only way they can give free incoming is if they shut 2G 3G and become pure 4G operators like Jio which is why Jio never deactivates incoming calls even when u don't recharge.
So if you need free incoming without recharging, port the number to Jio or do the minimum recharge in the older operators networks and wait for them to become pure 4G players.
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I agree, a lot has changed since earlier times. But for that, we do have a regulatory body (TRAI) which addresses such concerns of the telcos. These telcos have Market Analysts and Financial Advisors/Consultants, Auditors, CA and an entire Finance Department which calculates profit based on ARPU. The concern you listed above is valid- but for the telcos, not for the consumer.

It is the competition that keeps a market healthy. Just imagine a case, if Jio did not go commercial in Sep'2016. The rentals for 1GB data would continue to be Rs 250. In fact, going by the trend, it would have increased. We are 2.5 years down the line, and maybe mobile internet would have been costlier (and probably we'd rely on WiFi for data hoggers like Instagram, YouTube). If Jio "happened" to the telecom industry, then it is because the market is open to all. They intelligently captured the market (they knew no one would sign up if it wasn't given free). Now this has impacted the other players- but such challenges are a norm for them. To stay in the market, they have to take up initiatives like VoLTE, ViLTE and compete with new innovative players like Jio.

Worldwide, 2G networks are being completely shut down and 3G has become the bare minimum network now. India has not done it due to the vast rural population where such networks are not completely existent. If the telcos want to do away with this cost, they would too have to take the stern step of shutting down 2G of course by evaluating it's impact.

Having said the above, I still am firm on my opinion that the telcos need to follow TRAI and not permanently deactivate a number if sufficient Main Balance is available in the Prepaid Account. Or they should take this point up with TRAI and get the guidelines/rules changed accordingly so that we customers are aware that telcos are following all the rules laid down by TRAI.
 
TJ_DJ said:
I agree, a lot has changed since earlier times. But for that, we do have a regulatory body (TRAI) which addresses such concerns of the telcos. These telcos have Market Analysts and Financial Advisors/Consultants, Auditors, CA and an entire Finance Department which calculates profit based on ARPU. The concern you listed above is valid- but for the telcos, not for the consumer.

It is the competition that keeps a market healthy. Just imagine a case, if Jio did not go commercial in Sep'2016. The rentals for 1GB data would continue to be Rs 250. In fact, going by the trend, it would have increased. We are 2.5 years down the line, and maybe mobile internet would have been costlier (and probably we'd rely on WiFi for data hoggers like Instagram, YouTube). If Jio "happened" to the telecom industry, then it is because the market is open to all. They intelligently captured the market (they knew no one would sign up if it wasn't given free). Now this has impacted the other players- but such challenges are a norm for them. To stay in the market, they have to take up initiatives like VoLTE, ViLTE and compete with new innovative players like Jio.

Worldwide, 2G networks are being completely shut down and 3G has become the bare minimum network now. India has not done it due to the vast rural population where such networks are not completely existent. If the telcos want to do away with this cost, they would too have to take the stern step of shutting down 2G of course by evaluating it's impact.

Having said the above, I still am firm on my opinion that the telcos need to follow TRAI and not permanently deactivate a number if sufficient Main Balance is available in the Prepaid Account. Or they should take this point up with TRAI and get the guidelines/rules changed accordingly so that we customers are aware that telcos are following all the rules laid down by TRAI.
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It's not easy to shutdown 2G. Handset cost only 300 rupees and require no compulsory monthly recharge but 4G handset cost 5 times of that and require compulsory recharge every month.

Now for a worker who earn Rs200 per day it's a big money. So 2G will remain even in 2030
 
TJ_DJ said:
I agree, a lot has changed since earlier times. But for that, we do have a regulatory body (TRAI) which addresses such concerns of the telcos. These telcos have Market Analysts and Financial Advisors/Consultants, Auditors, CA and an entire Finance Department which calculates profit based on ARPU. The concern you listed above is valid- but for the telcos, not for the consumer.

It is the competition that keeps a market healthy. Just imagine a case, if Jio did not go commercial in Sep'2016. The rentals for 1GB data would continue to be Rs 250. In fact, going by the trend, it would have increased. We are 2.5 years down the line, and maybe mobile internet would have been costlier (and probably we'd rely on WiFi for data hoggers like Instagram, YouTube). If Jio "happened" to the telecom industry, then it is because the market is open to all. They intelligently captured the market (they knew no one would sign up if it wasn't given free). Now this has impacted the other players- but such challenges are a norm for them. To stay in the market, they have to take up initiatives like VoLTE, ViLTE and compete with new innovative players like Jio.

Worldwide, 2G networks are being completely shut down and 3G has become the bare minimum network now. India has not done it due to the vast rural population where such networks are not completely existent. If the telcos want to do away with this cost, they would too have to take the stern step of shutting down 2G of course by evaluating it's impact.

Having said the above, I still am firm on my opinion that the telcos need to follow TRAI and not permanently deactivate a number if sufficient Main Balance is available in the Prepaid Account. Or they should take this point up with TRAI and get the guidelines/rules changed accordingly so that we customers are aware that telcos are following all the rules laid down by TRAI.
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Airtel will anyway shutdown 3G by Jan 2020 since most high speed data subscribers have upgraded to 4G and all new smartphones ship with 4G capabilities, and the user base of 3G handsets has shrunken to a point where having even the 5MHz of 2100 MHz band dedicated to 3G isn't justified when all 4G bandwidth is getting choked. 2G will continue till 2024 since even today over 60% of the incumbent operator's subscribers are with 2G handsets (though Jio phone is replacing them in the feature phone segment rapidly with their exchange offer). And the legacy operators can't shut 2G till their 4G footprint has reached the level of their 2G footprint.
As for TRAI yes the operators should approach it and get the clause removed completely giving them full freedom to decide when they want to deactivate a number on lack of recharge since they are the service provider. As for the users they are well informed by their respective service providers as to when they can expect their services to be suspended in the even of lack of recharge, the customers rely on these messages rather than rules in the TRAI handbook.
It is easy to think from the consumer point of view, but if the business owner isn't going to have a conducive business environment he isn't going to run his business in loss and will shut operation. Then in the lack of competition new operators like Jio will have a monopoly in the market and will raise tariffs which the consumer will have to pay due to the lack of options.
Jio has its own strategy due to which it is offering services below cost, it wants to build a 4G ecosystem which requires subscribers to shift to 4G devices, which in a price sensitive market like India can only happen with the current tariffs. Once Jio achieves over 40% revenue market share they are bound to raise tariffs to recover the losses they have been bearing. Currently they are pumping in money from the soon to extinct petroleum business so that the future of reliance industries becomes secure with telecom becoming it's new cash cow since going forward data demand will only increase.
 
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