| Ensuring Connectivity for All during Pandemic - 24/03/2020 |
| Government of India |
| TELECOM/ICT Policy Makers and Regulators | Asia & Pacific | India |
| In order to ensure seamless connectivity during COVID-19, The Indian Government and Telecom Service Providers in India put in place a number of measures to protect consumer interests, including in particular that of low-income consumers. Telecom Service Providers ensured connectivity through: i. Extending the validity of tariff plans; ii. Community Recharge Schemes especially for Feature Phone users (non smart phone users) who cannot recharge online and may need support: This was done by encouraging consumers with smartphones to recharge for others by providing incentives in the form of commission/cashback (e.g. Vofafone’s 'Recharge for Good' scheme, Airtel’s 'Earn from Home' programme, Reliance Jio’s JIOPos Lite App); iii. Encouraging online recharge for digitally connected customers by spreading awareness through video-tutorials etc. iv. Introduction of special Work from Home Tariff Plans, The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) directed telecom operators to extend the validity period of prepaid tariff plans to ensure that subscribers get uninterrupted services during the 21-day nationwide lock-down. Apart from continuously monitoring state of connectivity and facilitating service providers in this regard, the Central Government exempted measures needed for maintaining telecom services from the lock down and eased licensing conditions to facilitate remote working IT/ITES companies |
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Keywords: Recharge, Feature Phone, Special Schemes for Recharge |