AAP MP Advocates for Mobile Data Regulation and Rollover Policies

Call for Mobile Data Reform

New Delhi, March 23: Raghav Chadha, a Member of Parliament from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has strongly urged for the regulation and rationalization of mobile data services. He emphasized the need for major telecom companies to allow rollover of unused data and facilitate its transfer among family and friends.

During a session in the Rajya Sabha, Chadha raised this significant public concern, advocating for mobile data regulations to align with other consumer services, ensuring that users receive full value for their payments.

He pointed out that telecom companies forfeit any unused mobile data after midnight, meaning customers lose what they have paid for. "Users are charged for their full data allowance, yet any unused portion is taken back by the provider at the end of the day," he remarked, highlighting this as an unethical practice.

Chadha compared mobile data services to other utilities like petrol and electricity, where consumers only pay for what they use. He questioned why mobile data should be treated differently, stating, "Why should data that we have paid for be forfeited?"

He noted that telecom operators often provide recharge plans with daily limits, such as 1.5GB, 2GB, or 3GB, which reset every 24 hours. However, any unused data expires at midnight, despite being fully paid for.

"If you are billed for 2GB and use 1.5GB, the remaining 0.5GB simply vanishes at the end of the day. There’s no refund or rollover; it’s just gone. This is not a coincidence; it’s a policy. Unused data should carry over into the next cycle, allowing consumers to utilize what they have already paid for," he argued.

Chadha, who has previously raised various public issues, outlined three key demands:

Firstly, he called for all telecom operators to implement a rollover policy for unused data, stating, "What remains unused at the end of the day should be added to the next day’s Daily Data Limit, rather than being erased when the validity expires."

His second demand proposed that if a consumer consistently underutilizes their data over several cycles, there should be a mechanism for adjusting or discounting that value from the next month’s recharge amount. "Consumers should not have to pay for capacity they do not use repeatedly," he added.

Lastly, he advocated for the ability to transfer unused data among friends and family. "Unused data should be considered the consumer’s digital property, allowing users to transfer their unused data to others, similar to how they transfer money," he stated.

Chadha concluded by asserting that as India progresses towards a digital future, access to data should not be contingent upon data that disappears.