Reliance Jio Approaches TRAI, Accuses Airtel, Vi Of Using Farmers Protests To Port Out Customers

• Jio alleged Airtel and Vi claiming that migrating to their networks would be an act of support to the farmers' protests.
• While responding to the complaint, Airtel has written to the telecom regulator describing the complaint as outrageous and scurrilous.

In amid of farmers protests, Reliance Industries telecom arm Jio has accused its rivals Airtel and Vi (Vodafone Idea) of practicing unethical means and spreading fake rumors that the Mukesh Ambani-led company will benefit from the recent farm bills.

Reliance Jio has written to the telecom regulator TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority Of India) demanding strict action against Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea for the same.

The company also said to stop campaigns under which “false propaganda is being spread across the country to get some additional MNP port-ins” by "capitalizing on the ongoing farmer protest in the northern areas of the country".

In a letter to TRAI, Reliance Jio stated that the rivals Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea are running false campaigns. "This is further to our aforementioned letter dated 28 September 2020 highlighting the unethical and anti-competitive MNP campaign, being run by Airtel and Vodafone India to capitalize on the ongoing farmers' protests in the northern parts of the country," Jio said in the letter dated December 11."

"We submit that despite the above submissions, these companies continue to remain directly/indirectly involved in supporting and furthering the insinuations and false and frivolous rumors of Reliance being an undue beneficiary of the farm laws, for unethical pecuniary benefits in the form of induced porting of RJIL customers," said the company.

Further Reliance Jio claimed that Bharti Airtel and Vi (Vodafone Idea) "remain unabated in pursuing this vicious and divisive campaign through its employees, agents, and retailers".

Jio said that both the companies are encouraging people by making false claims that migrating Jio mobile numbers to their networks would be an act of support to farmers' protests.

The letter said that the campaign is not limited to northern areas of the country, this false propaganda is being spread across the country to get some additional MNP port-ins.

"We again request that to reap meager gains in port-in numbers, these service providers are intentionally defacing RJIL (Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited) by depicting it as being against farmers and projecting themselves as farmer-friendly, while at the same time intentionally fanning the antigovernmental protests," the company added.

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In response to the Jio complaint, Bharti Airtel has written to TRAI described the complaint as "outrageous" and "scurrilous".

In its letter, Airtel said: "Airtel has been operating in the telecom industry for 25 years. During this period, we have competed hard in the market place and striven to serve our customers with excellence. At the same time, we take great pride in treating our competitors and partners with respect."

"Despite being provoked by some competitors who we know will go to any length to make baseless allegations, adopt bullying tactics and use intimidatory behavior we have always conducted our business with character and transparency something that we are deeply proud of and known for," the company added.

"It is in poor taste and is scurrilous to say the least," Airtel said.

the story was first reported by ANI (Asian News International)

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