I have always maintained that GSM services are cartelised. Despite the hype about the “fastest growing mobile telephony business” (bah!) we have the highest tariffs in the world based on the purchasing power parity. There is no point in repeating the statistics and I’d request interested readers to dig in the archives.

Anti Monopoly watchdog MRTPC issued notices to Airtel , Vodafone and Idea Cellular regarding the price increase on the same day! Here is the frigging legal flotsam if you are interested:

The DGIR said this was a Restrictive Trade Practices by the operators as it distorted the competition and recommended to take action against the three operators under section 2(O) read with 33 (1)(D) of the MRTP Act, 1969.

It’s hard to imagine that any action would come out of this. The legal battery of these companies would swing into action and perhaps settle out of court. They would get a mild rap and it would be business as usual.

In the whole scenario, it is the suffering customer who would keep his mouth shut and not rise up and demand that the prices be rolled back and that they get paid back in kind. Sheesh. I have never come across such a mass of people who choose to suffer in silence and let the operators get away with open loot.