Airtel's sweeping 4G mobile services campaign, that promises " the fastest network ever" has come under the scrutiny of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). The ombudsman has asked the telecom giant to either withdraw or modify the ads, according to a report in the Hindu Business Line,on the basis of an anonymous consumer complaint.
Bharti Airtel Ltd, India’s largest telecom services provider has been pushing its 4G data services in the market, with advertisements offering free phone services if customers could find a faster data network.
An ASCI note, accessed by Business Line said that the Consumer Complaints Council had concluded that though 4G provides better services than 3G under the same operating conditions, it still isn't right to claim it as "the fastest network ever".
Airtel has said that it wasn't in the wrong and could empirically back its claims.
“4G technology is proven to deliver the fastest Internet experience, and the same has been accepted globally. 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,” Airtel said in a statement.
Earlier, the ASCI has also objected to Idea Mobile's, Idea Internet Network campaign, as well as several of Vodafone and Airtel's 3G advertisements.
Contact HuffPost India