Regulator Trai on Thursday directed all telecom service providers to immediately ensure that only tariffs that are reported to it are offered through their channels, distributors or retailers as it cracked the whip on discounts allegedly being doled out by some channel partners to lure customers from other networks.

Trai firmly reminded the operators that mobile number portability (MNP)-specific tariff offerings are “violative” of Telecom Tariff Offer and other regulations that have been issued from time to time, in the context of non-discrimination in tariffs.

Issuing a direction to all players, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has affixed the responsibility of ensuring compliance of regulatory provisions and guidelines squarely with the operators, for such cases.

The direction came after Trai received complaints by telecom service providers against each other, where allegations were levelled about MNP-specific tariff offering being made by rival firms.

“The offering of differential tariff to the subscribers porting from the network of other service provider is not a valid and reasonable classification as the motive behind such classification is apparently to induce churn from the competitors’ network and which is discriminatory and contravenes the provisions of clause 10 of TTO, 1999,” Trai said .

Monthly data released by Trai recently showed that troubled Vodafone Idea continued to lose mobile subscribers in June, ceding fresh ground to rivals Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel.