Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha on Monday made a strong pitch for "regulation and rationalisation" of mobile data, demanding that the big telecom giants make adequate provisions for rollover of unused data and also its transfer among family and friends.
Raising yet another 'issue of public concern' in the Rajya Sabha, Chadha advocated bringing mobile data regulation at par with other services and ensuring that mobile users get to consume every penny they pay for.
"After midnight, unused mobile data of users, whatever is left, is forfeited by telecom companies. This is not carried forward to the next day. A customer is charged for full data, but at the end of the day, his unused data is taken back by the company," Chadha stated in the upper house, raising alarm over the "unethical" practice.
Drawing parallels with other consumer services like petrol, diesel, and electricity, the RS MP stated that the consumers pay for whatever they use, but in the mobile data domain, users are subjected to "deceit" and unequal treatment.
"There is no facility for rollover or carrying forward of mobile data. Why should data that we have paid for be forfeited?" he asked.
Chadha told the house that the telecom companies offer recharge plans with 'daily data limits' like 1.5GB, 2GB, or 3GB per day, resetting every 24 hours, but any unused data expires at midnight, despite being fully paid for."You are billed for 2GB. You use 1.5GB. The remaining 0.5GB disappears as the day ends. No refund. No rollover. Just gone. This is not an accident. This is policy. Unused data should carry forward into the next cycle, so consumers can use what they have already paid for," he contended.
The Rajya Sabha member, having raised multiple issues pertaining to the public in the past, also put forward his three demands:
Demanding data carry-forward or rollover for all mobile users, he said: "All telecom operators should provide Rollover of Unused Data. What remains unused at the end of the day, should be added to the next day's Daily Data Limit, not erased the moment validity ends."
His second demand read: "If a consumer consistently under-utilises their data over multiple cycles, there should be a mechanism for Adjustment or Discount of that value, from the following month's Recharge Amount. Consumers should not repeatedly pay for capacity they do not use."
His third demand centred on the transfer of unused data among relatives and friends.
"Unused data should be treated as the consumer's digital property. Users should be allowed to transfer their unused data to others, from their Daily Data Limit, just as they transfer money to others," he said.
"As we build a Digital India, access cannot depend on data that disappears," he maintained.