The Telecom Dispute Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has refused to stay Trai’s order directing Vodafone Idea to withdraw its controversial RedX plan, which speeds up digital traffic to premium paying customers.
The company launched its RedX plan promising 50 per cent faster speeds for which it claims to have used a “special technology” without specifying what it is.
The case has been posted for hearing on July 16 .
Trai’s move will also impact Bharti Airtel’s premium plan for post paid users which was announced last week. AIrtel has not moved the courts.
The company is challenging the Trai ban on preferential treatment of consumers or content. The ban was issued based on the principle of net neutrality — which means telecom firms cannot extract higher tolls for fast tracking content on digital highways.
In 2015, a committee of experts appointed by the department of telecom came out with a report that said it couldn’t precisely define what net neutrality meant.
“We need not hard code the definition of Net Neutrality but assimilate the core principles and shape actions around them,” the report said.
“The puritan view of Net Neutrality has practical limitations and it does not work in the real world,” it added.
Vodafone Idea continued to lose subscribers with as many as 6.3 million exiting in March as Jio pumped up its base by 4.68 million. Trai data showed Airtel losing 1.2 million subscribers in the month.
