No international data service beyond credit limit: Trai

NEW DELHI: To protect customers from bleeding white during international roaming, Trai today recommended that data services of Indians travelling abroad should be stopped upon reaching the credit limit and activated further only after they deposit the required amount.

Trai in its recommendations on sale or rent of international calling and roaming cards in India said that in respect of a postpaid connection, there shall be a credit limit which may be fixed as per the customer's requirement and customer be transparently informed of the same.

The international SIM vendor should inform the customer through SMS or other message upon reaching 70 per of the credit limit, Trai said.

"If the credit limit is breached the services should be barred till such time the customer deposits the necessary amount with the operator," Trai said.

The government has authorised 38 companies to sell international roaming sims.

The regulator has received several complaints from consumers on being over-billed by companies selling these SIMs. It observed lack of transparency on billing charges specially exorbitant charges on mobile internet activated without their permission.

"A close scrutiny of the complaints reveal that majority of complaints are related to hefty charges levied on customers for accessing data services in the foreign land. In all such cases, customers had refuted the claims made by the operator and denied having accessed the data services," Trai said.

The regulator also observed lacunae in resolving customer grievances.