At the announcement for the national roll out of
Airtel payments bank,
Sunil Bharti Mittal talked about the challenges faced by the company with the entry of
Reliance Jio. Airtel has moved TDSAT on Reliance Jio's free services.
Mittal said it is unfair competition if any player is providing services for free for such a long time. He said Airtel has put all matters concerning the unfair practice of Jio in the TDSAT including issues regarding
TRAI. Airtel has called TRAI a mute spectator. Mittal believes DoT has set up a committee to look into the matter and is waiting to hear from the telecom department and the regulator. Mittal said Jio's entry in the market has impacted both revenues and margins of telecom players however Airtel is not as impacted by the entry of other players.
Mittal said Reliance Jio's entry has impacted the telecom industry. Ever since
Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio launched its commercial services telecom operators of the country have been sparring over the free services provided by Jio which now through its 'Happy New Year' plan extends until March 2017.
