Airtel, Vi Don’t Like That USSD Solutions are Free for Customers

In a submission to the regulator, Airtel said that the charges of USSD solutions need to be lowered in a phased fashion from 50 paise to 5-10 paise. The telco claimed that if the regulatory authority plans to offer the USSD based services totally free, after that there need to be a mechanism to fairly compensate the telcos by the worried stakeholders.

Bharti Airtel and also Vodafone Concept (Vi) have conveyed to the Telecommunications Regulatory authority of India (TRAI) about their frustration related to the no tolls for unstructured auxiliary service data (USSD) based repayment solutions and also mobile banking. The telcos have actually said that no tariffs would certainly increase the cost pressure very considerably, and it is currently a debt-laden industry which implies it would be very negative for their organization in addition to the market.

According to an ET Telecom record, Bharti Airtel has actually asked TRAI to fairly compensate them if it prepares to keep its order of offering USSD solutions totally free.

Airtel Writes to TRAI Asking to Compensate Fairly free of cost USSD Providers
In an entry to the regulatory authority, Airtel said that the fees of USSD services need to be brought down in a phased fashion from 50 paise to 5-10 paise. The telco said that if the regulatory authority plans to offer the USSD based services free of cost, after that there ought to be a system to fairly make up the telcos by the concerned stakeholders.

Vodafone Suggestion has stated that USSD services call for both operational as well as capex costs in regards to network resources, hands-on tasks, personnels, IT/billing systems, and also a lot more. The telco said that expense each would certainly be significant if the volumes were considered.

For the unaware, TRAI had made USSD based services entirely totally free for Indians in November 2021. USSD based services are made use of for repayment services as well as mobile financial. This move from the regulator concerned shield the passions of the individuals on feature phones. Better, with absolutely no expense for USSD solutions, users would certainly be inclined to make online repayments which will lead to the digital incorporation of more Indians.

Nevertheless, the telcos aren’t suching as the decision from the regulatory authority as it includes a substantial price for which they are making nothing. Hence, Airtel has actually requested for an appropriate system for making up the telcos to supply free USSD based services.