TDSAT refuses to stay TRAI order on Vodafone-Idea premium plan

The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) on Tuesday refused to stay the TRAI order asking Vodafone Idea to put on hold its RedX plan, which offers faster data speed and priority services to premium customers.

Vodafone Idea on Monday approached the TDSAT seeking stay on the TRAI order.

Read: TRAI asks Airtel, Vodafone to withhold premium plans

While issuing the notice to the TRAI, the Tribunal headed by its chairperson Justice Shiva Kirthi Singh posted the matter to July 16 for the next hearing.

Earlier, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had blocked Bharti Airtel’s Platinum and Vodafone Idea’s RedX premium plans which offer faster data speeds and priority services to customers.

While asking two companies to withhold the two schemes until further order, the regulator said such a scheme might harm the service quality of mobile users.

The regulator, which is studying whether these two offers by the telecom companies violate net neutrality, also asked telecom firms to clarify within one week whether the customers of these two plans would be entitled to higher 4G speeds at the cost of service deterioration to other mobile users.

Bharti Airtel on July 6 announced a new scheme in which it will give preference to platinum mobile customers, who pay Rs 499 and above per month for postpaid connection, on its 4G network. The platinum customers will get better 4G speed on the Airtel network compared to other customers, the company said.

Vodafone Idea last November introduced its RedX plan, offering up to 50% faster speeds and special services.