The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was established in 1997 through an Act of  Parliament, viz., the Telecom Regulatory Authority ofIndiaAct, 1997. The Authority’s mission is to ensure that the interests of consumers are protected and at the same time to nurture conditions for growth of telecommunications, broadcasting and cable services in a manner and at a pace which will enableIndiato play a leading role in the emerging global information society.

For achieving these objectives, the Authority issues from time to time regulations, directions, orders or guidelines with focus on providing consumer with adequate choice, affordable tariffs and high quality of service.

TRAI has recently issued new regulations on consumer protection, complaint redressal system, unsolicited commercial communications and mobile number portability. TRAI has laid down the standards of quality of service to be provided by the service providers to create conditions for consumer satisfaction by making known the quality of service, which the service provider is required to provide and the user has a right to expect.

Even though the TRAI Act does not envisage dealing with individual complaints by the Authority, complaints received in TRAI help the Authority to gauge the performance of the sector and take further regulatory measures to address the issues.  In fact many a regulations, directions and orders issued by TRAI can trace its roots to the complaints received in TRAI from the consumers.

This handbook contains the gist, from consumer point of view, of all the Regulations, Orders and  Directions issued by the Authority.  Starting from enrolment as a consumer of telecommunication service, all that are relevant to the consumer like complaint redressal, tariff, quality of service, mobile number portability, value added services, unsolicited commercial communications, saving mobile numbers in the handset, dialling tips and consumer education have been dealt in separate chapters. References have been indicated to the relevant regulations/orders/directions, details of which are available in the TRAI website: www.trai.gov.in

TRAI-Handbook17may12

Bharti Airtel announced the launch of all new range of affordable and easy to understand tariff plans for its 3G services. Airtel has also introduced Smartbytes additional data usage packs for its postpaid Airtel mobile customers on 3G, thus becoming the first in the market to offer customers with the choice of subscribing to incremental 3G data usage packs.

With Airtel 3G Smartbytes, postpaid mobile customers will now be able to continue enjoying uninterrupted access to high speed browsing on their mobile devices even after exhausting their monthly data limits. The Smartbytes additional data usage packs are available in a range of predetermined price options that allow Airtel 3G customers to choose a plan that suits their needs, while avoiding any billshocks.

New Airtel 3G packs and prices

Additional Data usage Pack

Volume based browsing rate on 3G down from 10p/10kb to 3p/10Kb. This will be applicable for 3G non-pack users with effect from 17th May 2012.  The new Airtel 3G packs are now available for both pre-paid and post-paid customers across circles using phones as well as dongles

Bharti Airtel and Axis Bank announce strategic alliance for financial inclusion

• Combine strengths of banking and telecom sectors to deliver banking services through the ubiquitous mobile platform
• Launches ‘airtel money Super Account powered by Axis Bank’, a no-frills savings bank account of Axis Bank on airtel’s mobile platform, in partnership with Infosys
•  Money transfer with cash-out now available across leading remittance corridors; customers can save money and earn interest too

Bharti Airtel, through its wholly owned subsidiary airtel mCommerce Services Limited, and Axis Bank  announced a partnership for extending banking and payment services to India’s unbanked millions through the ubiquitous mobile platform. This alliance will leverage the companies’ respective strengths in telecom and banking sectors to empower financially excluded citizens of Indiawith banking products and services towards enhancing their livelihood and quality of life.

With the partnership announced, no-frills savings account of Axis Bank will be opened for customers on the airtel money platform called ‘airtel money Super Account powered by Axis Bank’ offering customers banking transactions including cash deposit, money transfer and withdrawal. These accounts will provide convenient, safe and secure savings avenue to Financial Inclusion customers’ paying them savings account interest and also enabling them to make remittances. To begin with, savings and remittance solutions will be provided in the top four remittance corridors involvingDelhi and Mumbai on the sending side andBihar and East UP on the receiving side. Thereafter these services may be extended to other remittance corridors in the country. Gradually other banking products and services like micro Recurring Deposits, micro Fixed Deposits, small loans and micro-insurance products will also be provided through this platform.

The ‘airtel money Super Account powered by Axis Bank’ offers the following key features

• A no-frills account of Axis Bank on the airtel money platform.
• Cash Deposit / Withdrawal from authorised ‘airtel money – Axis Bank’ outlets
• Remittance of funds to other ‘airtel money Super Accounts’.
• Remittance to other bank accounts through NEFT (to be enabled soon).
• Savings bank interest on balances

Mobile customers can visit nearest authorised ‘airtel money – Axis Bank outlets’ and open ‘airtel money Super Account powered by Axis Bank’ on their mobile phones by submitting the prescribed application form and KYC documents.

The focused target segment of the ‘airtel money Super Account powered by Axis Bank’ will be remittance corridors and unbanked areas, where there is greater need of easy money transfers and savings, which will be possible with this account and the need for other financial products like deposits, insurance, loans etc. that will get enabled soon. Going forward, the mobile platform can also facilitate other micro-payments. Such collaboration betweenIndia’s leading mobile and banking services providers represents a model partnership meant for making the idea of inclusive banking a reality for customers in India