The Indian telecom space has seen major changes over the past couple of years. With data getting cheaper and calling becoming almost free, telcos are struggling to generate revenues, especially from customers who use a mobile connection only for incoming calls. To turn things around, telecom operators have introduced minimum recharge plans for prepaid subscribers, and failing to do so, their connection will be disconnected.
These prepaid recharge plans start at Rs 35 with some talk time, data and validity of 28 days. Under Rs 100 price band, there are two other plans priced at Rs 65 and Rs 95, both of which offer 28 days validity along with better calling and data benefits. And these plans are same across Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular and Tata Docomo. With minimum recharge plans, operators are hoping to boost their ARPUs.
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Now, according to a report by Mint, subscribers have complained about Airtel and Vodafone Idea sending messages, asking them to recharge their accounts to continue using services, despite having sufficient balance.
Clearly, subscribers are left baffled to suddenly see the message. To clear out all confusions, TRAI has asked telcos to inform subscribers about the date when the validity of existing plan ends within 3 days.
Operators also need to inform customers about the minimum recharge plans that are available, the benefits that they offer and how one can opt for them – voucher recharge or via balance deduction after sending a message. This will help customers get clarity about the new changes, while also knowing when their connection will get discontinued on failing to make a recharge.
