Trai Asks Jio, Airtel Why They Nix Lowest Internet Plans

Regulatory glare comes amid concerns over affordability, data access for low-income users

- Jatin Grover

India's telecom regulator has asked Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd and Bharti Airtel Ltd to explain why they removed their cheapest 1GB entry-level mobile plans, said four people in the know, amid concerns that low-income individuals relied on these for basic internet access.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) also asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to look into the issue and submit a report, one of the four persons cited above said. All spoke on the condition of anonymity.

While Jio said its recharge plan continues to be available only offline via Jio stores, Airtel cited internal assessment and usage analysis, among other reasons, for discontinuing the plans, according to two people cited above.

On 19 August, Mint had reported that the two operators pulled their entry-level 1GB per day plans that cost ₹249 each: Reliance Industries Ltd-owned Jio offered a 28-day validity, and Airtel's plan was valid for 24 days. Jio first removed the plan from its website, and Airtel followed suit.