Bharti Airtel on Thursday said its campaign on 4G that calls its services to be fastest in India, is based on rigorous tests and that it will engage with the advertising industry watchdog to clear whatever misconceptions that may have cropped up on that.
Airtel, the only 4G operator in India with presence in 300 plus towns, draws criticism from the public for misleading the public with a recent LTE campaign.
According to information available with TelecomLead.com, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has asked Bharti Airtel to withdraw or to modify appropriately the 4G advertisement before the October 7, 2015. Alternatively, Airtel can seek review of the ASCI decision that was upheld by the Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) as well.
“4G technology is proven to deliver the fastest internet experience, and the same has been accepted globally,” the company said in a statement to IANS.
“As the only commercial providers of this world class technology in India, our advertising campaign revolves around the 4G promise of fastest internet speeds and features a set of claims that are based on rigorous test conditions,” it added.
The company said it was engaging with the Advertising Standards Council of India to provide it with necessary technical data in support of the advertising claims — and that the prescribed process was being followed to schedule a review of the issue.
The advertisement was launched in August after Airtel announced nationwide 4G services roll out. Called Airtel Challenge, it says: “If your network is faster, we will pay your mobile bills for life.”
Airtel faces challenges at a time when the Mukesh Ambani-promoted Reliance Jio Infocomm is in the process of rolling out its 4G LTE network. Vodafone India and Idea Cellular will also be launching their 4G network during the next six months.
