Extending validity period - BSNL implements government's directive - private companies play trick - TRAI pulls up Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Jio.

As per the Government's direction, The Public Sector BSNL has already exempted it’s prepaid mobile customers from recharging, till April 20, 2020, in view of the Corona Virus pandemic. However, the private companies, viz., Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Jio are playing tricks and have not carried out the governments’ direction. As a result, the TRAI has pulled them up. The TRAI has pointed out that, Airtel and Vodafone Idea had followed a selective approach in extending the validity period, as a result of which a large number of their prepaid customers are remaining without 2G connectivity, since they are unable to recharge. Similarly, Jio has also played a trick. Instead of extending the validity period, it has credited 100 minutes of calls to those subscribers whose validity period has expired. But, this 100 minutes’ credit was not given to those customers whose validity period has not expired, even though they are having zero balance. 

[ Source : ET Telecom, dated April 7, 2020 ]