Raghav Chadha urges telecom firms to allow rollover of unused data
He rued that the big telecom giants fleece the consumers by denying them the mobile data after the expiry of the timeline decided by the companies
Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Monday pitched for rollover or transfer of unused mobile data among family and friends so that people get to consume every penny they pay for.
He rued that the big telecom giants fleece the consumers by denying them the mobile data after the expiry of the timeline decided by the companies.
“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,” he said in Rajya Sabha, raising alarm over the “unethical” practice.
Drawing parallels with other consumer services like petrol, diesel, and electricity, the AAP leader said the users pay for whatever they use, but in the mobile data domain, they 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.
In a series of posts on X, the parliamentarian said, “Telecom companies offer Recharge Plans with ‘Daily Data Limits’ like 1.5GB, 2GB or 3GB per day, resetting every 24 hours. 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 day ends. No refund. No rollover. Just gone. This is not an accident. This is policy. Use it unnecessarily or lose it by midnight. That’s how mobile data works today.”
He suggested that 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,” he added.
Chadha also argued that the unused data should be treated as the consumer’s digital property. He said as we build Digital India, access cannot depend on data that disappears.
Further explaining his argument with an analogy, he noted, “For example, when you fill your car tank with 20 litres of petrol, and use 15 litres in a month, leaving 5 litres unused, the petrol pump owner does not ask you to return the unused petrol because validity has ended. If you’ve paid for 20 litres, you can use the entire capacity. The same way data rollover should be allowed.”
He added that similar policies are in place in countries across the globe, including the US, Australia, Netherlands and many other European countries.
The Rajya Sabha MP had earlier raised the issue of the 28-day “monthly” recharge plans, calling it a “scam”.
