iWorld
Idea petitions TDSAT against TRAI; price war set to escalate
MUMBAI: Idea Cellular has petitioned TDSAT seeking to stop Reliance Jio from continuing free services till 31 March. In December 2016, India’s largest telco Bharti Airtel had moved the tribunal over the same issue.
TDSAT had, in its last hearing, directed TRAI to come to a conclusion in “reasonable time”.
Jio’s free services have set off a price war. After Reliance proposing investment of Rs 30,000 crore by end of this fiscal, the war is set to escalate. The recent cut-down — by approximately 66 per cent — in data rates impacted Idea’s stock prices. Airtel’s stock too was in the list of the losers on Nifty.
India’s third largest wireless operator Idea Cellular, run by the multi-billion dollar conglomerate Aditya Birla Group, has now filed a petition in the appellate telecom tribunal (TDSAT) against the telecom regulator TRAI. According to an unidentified TRAI official, the authority has sought opinion of attorney-general Mukul Rohatgi on the matter related to Jio’s extension of free services.
TRAI chairman R.S. Sharma said that everybody in India was free to move court. The Constitution provided them the right. TRA was looking into the matter of Jio’s promotional services and the presentations / arguments made by other operators, and would decide the issue very soon.
Airtel had said that TRAI was allowing Jio to continue with its free internet services beyond the stipulated 90-days time period. It had accused TRAI of acting as a “mute spectator” and killing competition in the sector by allowing Jio to offer free services. Rival telcos had said the free services were predatory in nature.
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e-commerce
Instamart gold dig event at Hussain Sagar goes viral
Hyderabad activation ties to gold price lock offer ahead of Akshaya Tritiya
MUMBAI: All that glitters isn’t just gold, it’s also great marketing. A quirky on-ground activation by Instamart at Hussain Sagar Lake has turned into a viral spectacle, with videos of people digging for gold coins flooding social media feeds this week. The campaign, executed in collaboration with Moms, transformed a patch of the city’s iconic lakefront into what online users quickly dubbed a “mini gold rush”. Armed with spades, participants dug through a mud-filled pit in search of hidden gold coins, an activity that drew crowds, cameras and plenty of commentary online, ranging from amused disbelief to outright fascination.
At the heart of the frenzy was a promotional push for Instamart’s ‘Gold Price Lock’ feature, which allows users to secure prevailing gold rates between April 10 and April 16 and complete their purchase later during Akshaya Tritiya, a period traditionally associated with high gold buying. The mechanic cleverly blended physical participation with digital conversion, turning curiosity into a potential transaction.
Branded as ‘Gold Diggers’, the activation leaned into gamified engagement. Those who struck lucky walked away with coins, those who didn’t were nudged with a simple message: lock the price now, buy later. The result was a steady stream of footfall and a surge in user-generated content, as onlookers and participants alike documented the spectacle.
The timing is significant. India remains one of the world’s largest consumers of gold, with demand peaking around Akshaya Tritiya. Data from the World Gold Council suggests the festival alone accounts for roughly 25–30 tonnes of gold purchases annually, making it a high-stakes window for brands looking to tap into consumer sentiment.
As the ‘Gold Price Lock’ feature remains live until April 16, the campaign has already done its job turning a simple product feature into a citywide moment. Because sometimes, the quickest way to get people talking about gold isn’t to sell it, it’s to make them dig for it.
