The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Monday directed all the telecom service providers to prevent misleading tariff advertisement. This has been done in order to further improve transparency in telecom tariff offers for facilitating the telecom subscribers to choose the tariff plans that best meet their need.

Trai said that the direction has been finalised after extensive consultations with the stakeholders including holding ‘Open House Discussions’ at various places across the country. 

“A tariff advertisement is considered to be misleading, which in any way, is likely to induce the consumer to subscribe to a tariff plan, which he would not have subscribed; contains an untrue statement;  omits a material fact having bearing on  the subscriber’s decision; and fails to disclose attached limitations and restrictions”, Trai said in a statement.

The regulator has directed the service providers that advertisements published by them should be transparent and non-misleading and unambiguous.

It also asked them to disclose all material information in unambiguous manner; obtain the website address and customer care number of the telecom access service provider; and the advertisements issued in vernacular languages contain all the mandatory disclosures in the same vernacular language. 

The service providers have also been directed to maintain an advertisement register which must include a specimen of every tariff related advertisements, and carry out internal audit to ensure that they are complying with all aspects of this Direction and to report compliance to the Authority on half yearly basis.