Govt to intervene into ‘Airtel Zero’ buzz

NEW DELHI: The Department of Telecom will now look into country’s top operator Bharti Airtel's 'Airtel Zero' plan, which is drawing flak due to its preferential treatment to certain websites.

"The Department of Telecom (DoT) has taken cognizance of reports on Airtel's plan and is keeping a "close watch" on developments around it...DoT is looking into finer details and whether it goes against the spirit of net neutrality," The Times of India reported quoting sources.

Last week, Bharti Airtel launched ‘Airtel Zero’, which is an open marketing platform that allows customers to access mobile applications at zero data charges.

However, since its launch the plan has attracted debates from different segments of telecom space. Industry experts believe that the plan is for few apps and not for all and this breaches net neutrality. Net neutrality is a term used to describe that internet service providers and the government should treat all data on internet equally, irrespective of content, users, applications etc.

Akin to the established concept of toll-free voice calling, ‘Airtel Zero’ will allow everyone from big marketers to small-time application developers to make parts or their entire mobile app free for customers – thus reviving interest of dormant customers, attracting new potential users and increasing retention, a company release had said.

The platform will be a big win for customers as it will allow them to access their favourite mobile applications at no data charges, and also encourage them to try out new applications, it had said.

The reports said that 'Airtel Zero' plan will also be viewed in the light of the telecom major's previous attempt (in December last year) where it had tried to charge higher tariff for internet telephony players such as Viber, WhatsApp, Skype and Line. The telco was then forced to withdraw the plan after it faced criticism on social media platforms.

The government may not take any immediate decision over Airtel's plan till the time the DoT committee comes up with a concrete plan to regulate OTT services. Also, Trai's recommendations will be looked into before any action, the reports further added.