Reliance Jio has blamed rivals Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) for facing significant number of port out requests.
Reliance Jio, the # telecom operator in India, has started losing mobile phone customers as some of the farmers, who are protesting against the controversial farm bills, have decided to remove Reliance Jio as their service provider.

Reliance Jio has approached the telecom regulator, saying that its rivals Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India have resorted to unethical means and have spread false rumours that the Mukesh Ambani-led company will benefit from the recent farm bills.

Farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are protesting over the past few weeks at the borders of the national capital.

Jio has blamed both its major rivals of running a vicious campaign. Jio said it received a large number of port out requests. Customers said farm bill is the sole reason for porting out of Reliance Jio, though they don’t have any complaints or other issues related to its services.

“This is further to our aforementioned letter dated 28 September 2020 highlighting the unethical and anti-competitive MNP campaign, being run by Airtel and Vodafone India to capitalise on the ongoing farmers protests in the northern parts of the country,” Reliance Jio said in the letter dated December 11, 2020.

Jio claimed that both Airtel and Vodafone India are directly or indirectly involved in supporting and furthering the ensued notions, and false frivolous rumours of Reliance Industries (RIL) being an undue beneficiary of the farm bills.

Bharti Airtel, in its response to TRAI, described the complaint from Reliance Jio as outrageous and scurrilous.

Airtel said the mobile operator has operated in the telecom industry for 25 years. “During this period, we have competed hard in the market place and striven to serve our customers with excellence. At the same time we take great pride in treating our competitors and partners with respect,” Bharti Airtel said in its response.