Vodafone seeks time to cancel its ‘111’ helpline

Vodafone India has sought more time from the telecom authority to stop using '111' as its customer care services number, citing inconvenience to subscribers from an immediate change.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had asked Vodafone on 2 March to stop the use of the '111' number as it violated the national numbering plan (See: TRAI wants Vodafone to replace '111' as helpline number). Vodafone was asked to submit a compliance report by 10 March.

''We have received a reply from Vodafone to our direction and the matter is currently being examined,'' a TRAI official said.

According to the official, Vodafone has said that '111' is being used by all its subscribers for customer care service, and it was difficult to stop its use in 10-12 days.

''They have sought more time to close the use of 111,'' the official added.

Vodafone did not reply to PTI queries in this regard.

As per Trai's direction to the company, the Department of Telecommunications had issued a 'National Numbering Plan 2003' wherein the numbers 111 to 115 were not allocated for any type of services and they had been kept as 'spare'.

Strangely, Vodafone has been using this number for almost two decades unhindered by Trai .

Trai seems to have only now realised that Vodafone urges its customers to call '111' to get internet settings and for virtually all service enquiries.

Subsequently, the regulator had issued a show cause notice on 2 February to Vodafone for violation of the National Numbering Plan.

In reply to Trai's notice, Vodafone had said on 18 February that the '111' number was in use by it for the last 18-20 years and it believed there was no restriction on its use as the number was already under valid use prior to 2003 as a common customer care number across all circles.

After examining Vodafone's reply, Trai said that ''by using level '111' without the permission of the licensor, the service provider has contravened the national numbering plan and filing annual compliance report to the regulations of the Authority cannot be treated as authorisation to use level '111'.''