Editor,
Through this letter, I want to voice my concern regarding the use of the cellular providers “International Roaming Services.”
Myself, possessing two Sims of which one is postpaid and the other is pre-paid, on reaching the destination, only my postpaid Sim was able to connect to or latch to a cellular network; however, my prepaid Sim was not connected to any cellular network and was totally useless at that point in time.
Nevertheless, I contacted customer care services and complained about the same with the hope of resolving my issue, but their reply was that “International Roaming Services are not permitted in prepaid Sims of the North East. I was dumbfounded by this matter.
In a world where obtaining OTPs is always necessary for each financial transaction, particularly while traveling abroad, it really is a major hassle and problematic for digital payments.
Prepaid users have a larger market share than postpaid customers, according to government data. With the exception of Jammu & Kashmir, other prepaid consumers from the rest of Indian states are welcome and allowed to utilise this service.
I felt that this was unjustifiable and unfair to us. Is this a benefit or perk available solely to postpaid consumers due to pricier rental plans and tariffs?
I believe that there is still a line drawn by dividing us digitally with the entire country.
I implore the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to pay heed to this request and consider this issue, as it would enable all prepaid users in the North East to benefit from this service for hassle-free connectivity anywhere in the world.
Chanmiki Laloo
Shillong – 2
