Top "telecom cartels" Airtel, Vodafone, Idea blamed for "monopolistic" practice amid continued rush for Reliance Jio

People queue up to get Jio sim

By A Representative
Amidst escalating corporate war over mobile operation, the powerful Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has blamed India's three topmost telecom companies, Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular, for undermining healthy competition and promoting monopolistic practices by “denying” people the right to choose between existing cellular services.
Claiming that Reliance Jio, a new entrant in the market, has “shaken up the complacency” which existed among these telecom "cartels", a top RIL functionary known to be close to the Ambani family, has said, the reach for Jio is just an indicator “as to the extent of customer dissatisfaction” with the existing cellular "cartels".
Indeed, huge rush continues in top Indian cities for Jio's 4G enables cellular sim card, offered for free for the initial period till December 31. Long queues, especially of youths, can be seen at all Reliance Digital stores, for instance, in Ahmedabad.
“If you want it without a queue, which begins early at 7.00 am and lasts till late evening, either you buy a 4G mobile at the store, or it is offered for Rs 500 in black”, Ketan Mehta, a senior citizen, wanting to have a Jio sim, told Counterview, finding it impossible to stand in a queue.
In an article titled “Where Jio dares competitors, Telcos cartel connives to block Jio” Parimal Nathwani, Group President of Corporate Affairs, RIL, and member, Rajya Sabha, has quoted American evangelical author on the Christian worldview Nancy Pearcy to say how “monopoly renders people complacent and satisfied with mediocrity.”
“It is a sad commentary that instead of gearing up for competition, they are busy using unfair means to block it”, Nathwani says, adding, “Ever since the launch of Reliance Jio, it has been a series of battles to be allowed call connect with other non-Jio networks or for mobile number portability.”
To launch its 4G debut, Reliance Jio acquired pan India BWA (Broadband Wireless Access) spectrum in 2010, but launched it on September 5 this year.
Admits Nathwani, “Ever since the Jio services began, it has witnessed 75-80 per cent call failures over the last few weeks.” He adds, “In over a period of 10 days alone, 52 crore calls failed cumulatively on the networks of the three incumbent operators Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular.”
Calling “blocking of calls” a breach of licence conditions with severely impacting customer interests, Nathwani says it is “unfair to allow them to monopolize the space and deny customers truly world class Internet services that Jio aspires to do”.
He adds, “In blatant disregard to licence terms and their obligations under the Telecommunication Mobile Number Portability Regulations, 2009” the incumbent dominant operators have “rejected all the requests made for porting between September 9 and September 12.”
Saying that “instead of upping their game and being willing to face competitive pricing head on”, the established telecom “cartels” are “choosing every ways and means to block” Jio, Nathwani warns, “We will keep reminding our competitors” to let the customer “decide the service he chooses.”
Amidst the continued corporate war around Jio, the Telecom Regulatory Authoriy of India (TRAI), has “decided” to issue show cause notice to the three operators, even as issuing "directions" to them to "ensure compliance of licensing condition in connection with the Points of Interconnect issue”.
TRAI, significantly, moved only after a complaint from Reliance Jio.

Comments

'Tax the top': Nationwide protests demand action as 1% control 40% of India’s wealth

By A Representative Civil rights groups across the country observed the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh on March 23, as people from diverse backgrounds united to raise their voices against growing economic inequality. The mobilisations marked the launch of a nationwide campaign against inequality, running from March 23 to April 14 (Ambedkar Jayanti), under the banner of the “Tax The Top” campaign.

Fair prices, fresh produce: Vegetable market opens in Rajasthan tribal village

By Vikas Meshram* On 18 March 2026, the tribal village of Sajjangarh in southern Rajasthan witnessed the grand and dignified inauguration of a new vegetable market (mandi). Established through the tireless joint efforts of the Krushi Avam Adivasi Swaraj Sangathan (Bhilkuaan) and Vaagdhara, under the active leadership of the Gram Panchayat of Sajjangarh, the market is being hailed as a cornerstone for local self-governance, self-reliance, and a sustainable rural economy.

Beyond India-China borders: Economic links expand, political gaps persist

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* Despite growing trade between India and China, a persistent trust deficit continues to shape their bilateral relationship. Expanding economic engagement has not fully resolved political differences, many of which stem from historical legacies as well as contemporary geopolitical concerns. Border disputes—often traced to colonial-era arrangements—remain a significant obstacle to deeper cooperation, while differing strategic alignments in global affairs add further complexity.

Gujarat cadre to HDFC: When bureaucratic style hits corporate walls

By Rajiv Shah I was a little amused by the abrupt March 17, 2026 resignation of Atanu Chakraborty —a Gujarat cadre IAS officer of the 1985 batch who retired from the government in 2020—as chairman of HDFC Bank . Much of what may have led to his decision to quit this ostensibly high post—actually a non-executive, part-time role—is by now well known. I followed most of it online with considerable interest, partly because I had interacted with him umpteen times during my stint as The Times of India correspondent in Gandhinagar from 1997 to 2012.

Ex-IAS Atanu Chakraborty and a tale of two different Gujarat vision documents

By Rajiv Shah The likely appointment of Atanu Chakraborty as HDFC Bank chairman interested me for several reasons, but above all because I have interacted with him closely during my more than 14 year stint in Gandhinagar for the “Times of India”. One of the few decent Gujarat cadre bureaucrats, Chakraborty, belonging to the 1985 IAS batch, at least till I covered Sachivalaya was surely above controversies. He loved to remain faceless, never desired publicity, was professional to the core, and never indulged in loose talk. When he neared retirement, which happened in April 2020, first there were rumours in Sachivalaya that he would be appointed SEBI chairman, and then there was talk he would be chairman (or was it CEO?) of Gujarat International Finance Tec (GIFT) City (a dream project of Narendra Modi as Gujarat chief minister, which as Prime Minister Modi wants to promote, come what may). But, for some strange reasons, and I don’t know why, none of this happened, despite the fact...

Witnessing Iran beyond propaganda: Truth, war, and the path beyond western paradigm

By Naile Manjarrés On June 23, 2025—marked as the 2nd of Tir, 1404, on the Persian calendar—a ceasefire between Iran and Israel was announced. This "night of the decree" shifted the trajectory of global affairs; although the world may appear unchanged on the surface, we have yet to fully grasp its impact.

Operation Epic Fury: Making America great at the world’s expense?

By N.S. Venkataraman* The decades-long enmity between Iran and Israel is well-documented, but historically, their direct confrontations have been brief, constrained by the logistical and economic limitations of sustained warfare. The current conflict in the Middle East, however, marks a radical and dangerous departure from this pattern.

Environmental expert urges policy overhaul as forest and water resources face critical decline

By A Representative On the occasion of World Forest Day and World Water Day , observed on March 21 and 22, environmental voices from the Western Ghats have issued a stark warning to the Union government, calling for an urgent paradigm shift in how India manages its interconnected natural resources. In a formal communication addressed to Union Minister for Jal Shakti , Sri C R Patil , and Union Minister for Forest, Environment and Climate Change , Sri Bhupendra Yadav , policy analyst Shankar Sharma has highlighted a growing disconnect between sectoral policies and the holistic reality of resource governance.

From chemicals to self-reliance: Women-led initiatives drive sustainable farming push

By Bharat Dogra Farmers in Bariyarpur village of Ajaygarh block (Panna, Madhya Pradesh) are increasingly adopting sustainable and self-reliant farming practices, responding enthusiastically to new opportunities created by recent development initiatives.

Search This Blog