Dear Sir,

I would like to congratulate TRAI on its efforts to publish this Consultation paper on Broadband QoS - "Bandwidth required for ISPs for better connectivity and improved quality of service". I really admire TRAI for its initiative, forethought and the enduring work for a better quality of telecom service in India despite apathy from several quarters including the government.

With this letter I would like to bring to your notice a controversial and unfair
decision of Airtel Broadband with subject to "Airtel Fair Usage Policy".
Airtel Fair Usage policy has become the latest nightmare for the customers of
Airtel Broadband.

"Airtel Fair Usage Policy" or AFUP is totally unfair on customers with Unlimited
broadband plans as Airtel has decided to cap all unlimited plans starting from 15GB for 256kbps and reducing the speed to 128kbps for further downloads. Unlimited plans cannot and should not have restrictions on either the promised speed or unlimited data.

As per information/emails received by customers from Airtel, the limit on unlimited plans are as follows:


512 kbps = 5 GB data limit per month - after that speed reduced to 256kbps
1 Mbps = 15 GB data limit per month - after that speed reduced to 256kbps

Airtel users have confirmed that their speeds have been reduced.

Let me to explain the which i'm facing in Airtel right now. I'm using airtel broadband for the past 11 months. I'm on 1 mbps unlimted plan. My average download per month would be 30 Gb atleast. In the middle of july month my speed had ben update to 2Mbps without any official notification and i continued to use it. My billing period is 26 to 25 for every month. On july 29th i got the notification in the browser that i had exceed the 80% usage of my FUP and after the Limit my speed has been revised as per my plan. then the next day my speed has been reduced to 256 kbps. In this 11 months , i never experienced such a problem like FUP. But nw they are telling that as per my plan , they are supposed to give only 15 Gb data limt and afterwards the speed will be only 256 kbps.They doubled my speed to 2 mbps, Because of this large bandwidth, even if i use internet 10hrs a day, 15 Gb data limit would be merely crossed in 5 or 6 days. This is totally not the 1 mbps plan. I'm paying 1200 plus according my plan and i'm supposed to use the internet about the speed of 256 kbps for the rest of the month (24- 26 days).

Once the unlimited broadband data is capped, it ceases to be an Unlimited plan. When the speed is reduced to less than the minimum 256kbps it ceases to be a TRAI defined broadband connection. Airtel in fact is violating the very
TRAI definition of broadband connection in India and this will be a very serious lapse by Airtel.

Airtel had merely suggested AFUP in its response to TRAI's consultation paper on "Bandwidth required for ISPs for better connectivity and improved quality of service". But now Airtel has gone ahead and implemented AFUP. This means that Airtel is enforcing data transfer limits on their supposedly unlimited plans without the consent of TRAI or its own customers. Does this not amount to cheating or fraud on its customers and in direct violation of TRAI's guidelines on broadband?

We have always believed Airtel to be different from other ISPs in India.They have always charged a premium and continue to do so for unlimited plans. Initially everything felt just right with Airtel Broadband. But things are apparently changing for the worse. Only TRAI can protect consumer interests from the wrath of such mind numbing decisions that put barriers in nascent growth of broadband in India.


regards
LOGESHKUMAR G
AIRTEL telephone no -04442153185