Parliament Question: Free Net Service to the Citizens of the Country

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4282 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18TH MARCH, 2026 FREE NET SERVICE TO THE CITIZENS OF THE COUNTRY 4282. PROF. SOUGATA RAY: Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has any proposal to ensure free net service to the citizens of the country; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) the reasons for the difference among the charges of net services by various cellular companies; and (d) whether the Government has any proposal to uniform the net charges across the country and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR) (a) to (d) As per the provisions of the TRAI Act, 1997, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), an independent regulatory body for telecommunication services in the country, regulates the rates of telecommunication services. As per the existing regulatory framework, tariff for telecommunication services is under forbearance, except for services such as National Roaming, Rural Fixed Line Services, Mobile Number Portability (MNP) charges, and leased circuits. Subject to compliance with extant regulatory provisions, service providers are free to design and offer tariff plans based on their understanding of market conditions and in their best commercial interest. Service providers have the flexibility to decide various tariff components such as the rates for different types of calls, SMS, and data services, along with multiple combinations including charges and validity for different service areas of their operation. ***** 1