MUMBAI: Following a directive called ‘The Telecom Consumer Protection (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2012’, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has consented to operators wanting to offer new kind of recharge coupons for pre-paid connections that will provide dual benefit to consumers.
The combo vouchers will enable customers to add value in their mobile handset account and also avail services at discounted rates.
A statement issued by the TRAI said, “The authority has decided, through the Fourth Amendment to the TCPR 2012, to permit the combo vouchers as a fourth category of vouchers with safeguards. The combo vouchers would provide monetary value and tariff concessions through a single voucher.”
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According to the rules, earlier only three categories of vouchers were allowed namely Plan vouchers (either through cards or electronically) that enrolls a consumer into a tariff plan, Top-up coupons for adding monetary value in to pre-paid account of consumers and Special tariff vouchers for getting value added services or discounts on services.
After notification of Telecom Consumer Protection Regulation, 2012 (TCPR) in January, TRAI said that there had been demands from several service providers to allow a fourth category of vouchers termed as the combo vouchers.
The regulation states that the combo vouchers will clearly have to mention the terms and conditions so that subscribers can make an informed choice. As per TRAI’s instruction to telecom operators, the special combo vouchers will bear a blue colour band while the top-up vouchers will feature a green colour band. The operators will also have to provide option of standalone top-up vouchers along with the combo ones.
