ASCI asks Airtel to withdraw its 4G Ads as they are misleading

You won’t be seeing anymore of Airtel’s 4G ads that claim it’s the ‘fastest network’ and ‘mobile bills free for life’ as ASCI (Advertising Standards Council of India) has asked Airtel to withdraw its ads they are found to be misleading. Airtel has received notice from ASCI stating to stop these ads. Airtel is the only 4G service provider in the country and has admitted to receiving the notice. ASCI said there is no way that the operator can substantiate the claim as such advertisements are misleading. The advertising agency of Airtel has asked the publishers to withdraw the ads until further notice is received. One of the publishers is TeleAnalysis that was asked to withdraw ads by Airtel without any reason or hinting to ASCI’s notice. Airtel has been given time till 7th October to respond to the issue.

ASCI states in the notice, “We have advised the Advertiser to withdraw or to modify appropriately the said advertisement before 7 October 2015 or seek a review of the decision. If you continue to see the advertisement after the due date, kindly bring the same to our notice.”

Airtel said it is working with ASCI on this issue, in a reply to NSE (National Stock Exchange).  “The 4G technology is proven to deliver the fastest internet experience and the same has been accepted globally. Bharti Airtel is the only commercial providers of this world class technology in India and the advertising campaign of the Company revolves around the promise of fastest internet speeds and features a set of claims that are based on rigorous test conditions. In response to the communication from Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), the Company has engaged with ASCI to provide them with the technical data in support of advertising claims and are following the prescribed process to schedule a review of the said issue. The Company is confident of getting a favorable response from ASCI.”

The Airtel 4G services were launched pan India on 5th august this year with a brand campaigning. Some of the ads claim ‘fastest network’, ‘mobile bill free for life’ and ‘full movie download in 3 minutes’. On this challenge ASCI said a 3G phone under favorable conditions can easily break the 4G challenge. ASCI remarked, “So, the aim of the challenge is not very clear.” ASCI has taken this step in response to a complaint filed by an Airtel user.