These are then followed up by calls made by Vodafone executives to persuade the same customers to switch to Vi.
Vi customers wanting to make a switch are being asked to contact Vi customer care or go to a physical store, and the restriction was being removed after customers were asked to wait for a few hours.
This, the telcos alleged, violates MNP 2009 norms, which specify issuance of UPC without delay by the network from where the customer is moving out.
The telcos have asked the Trai to direct Vi to investigate these alleged malpractices and submit a report to the regulator.
Queries sent to Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and the Trai did not elicit a response as of Sunday evening.
In multiple conversations and official communications to the regulator over the last few weeks, the country’s leading carriers alleged specific unfair practices by the No 3 carrier, and asked the Trai to direct Vi to look into these instances, three people aware of the development said.
They said the telcos have shared evidence to support the claims.
However, Vodafone Idea said in response to queries sent by Business Standard that it was not undertaking any exercises or steps that violate existing rules or regulations.
The malpractices alleged by Jio and Airtel relate to customer acquisitions using mobile number portability (MNP) —where a customer can switch their network provider without having to change the phone number. They are being levelled against Vodafone Idea and/or its sales associates and channel partners for violating directions issued by the Trai.
The top carriers say customers are called by people pretending to be executives from non-Vodafone telcos and told about imminent tariff hikes and changes to their existing plans.
These are then followed up by calls made by Vodafone executives to persuade the same customers to switch to Vi. This, the two companies said, violated Trai’s 2021 directions for carriers not to take any steps for acquiring customers that may induce churn in a rival carrier’s network.
The two telcos have also alleged that Vi was restricting SMSes, or text messages, that have to be mandatorily sent to 1900 for generating a unique porting code (UPC) for switching to another provider in several circles. Vi customers wanting to make a switch are being asked to contact Vi customer care or go to a physical store, and the restriction was being removed after customers were asked to wait for a few hours.
This, the telcos alleged, violates MNP 2009 norms, which specify issuance of UPC without delay by the network from where the customer is moving out.
The two carriers are learnt to have alleged that Vi was circulating and promoting discounted postpaid tariff plans for those wanting to switch to Vi using MNP.
“The differential tariffs induce churn and therefore were in violation of the Trai's tariff order, inhibiting customer choice and fair competition,” one of the people aware of the details of the complaints said, adding that the issue was directly raised with Vi as well.
The telcos have asked the Trai to direct Vi to investigate these alleged malpractices and submit a report to the regulator. They have also asked the regulator to issue directions to restrain telcos and their agents from engaging in misleading or deceptive activities for MNP solicitation.
“At Vi, we believe in fair competition, strength of our products and the value we deliver to our customers. At all times, we conduct our business in compliance with the law,” a spokesperson for Vi said in response to queries from Business Standard. Queries sent to Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and the Trai did not elicit a response as of Sunday evening.
The development comes at a time when the Aditya Birla Group company is on a revival track to gain lost ground by adding customers on a monthly basis and upgrading its network to 5G on the back of plans to inject a massive Rs 35,000 crore funding from banks.
The No 3 carrier, despite carrying a debt of Rs 1.2 trillion on its books, has chalked out an aggressive plan to invest Rs 45,000 crore in capex by FY29. The company’s chief executive officer Abhijit Kishore has stated that the company’s promoters were backing it through equity infusion, some of which has started to come in from the quarter ended June 2026, giving lenders more comfort to offer additional debt through funded and non-funded facilities.
Vi is also making its presence felt through an aggressive marketing campaign – its first in many years – having brought on board Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan. The campaign pushes the narrative of equal service for all in the face of Bharti Airtel launching its Fastlane services for postpaid customers. Vi is the only telco among its peers that is yet to enforce any increases to its tariff plans.
Portability hurdles
