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Flipkart's Mukesh Bansal on the Decision to Exit Airtel Zero

Flipkart's Mukesh Bansal on the Decision to Exit Airtel Zero

By NDTV Correspondent | Updated: 14 April 2015 17:16 IST

Asserting that Flipkart is resolutely committed to net neutrality, Mukesh Bansal, Head, Commerce Platform, told NDTV on Tuesday, "It's very important to make sure that the Internet grows in a manner where it is democratic, equally accessible, and [with] absolutely no discrimination of any kind."

Bansal was referring to the announcement Tuesday morning that Flipkart has decided it will not be a part of a new platform called Airtel Zero. Apps and other service providers - Airtel's partners in this project - will pay for the data used by a consumer, a proposition that has turned net neutrality into a national debate, with more than 3 lakh people sending emails demanding the Internet in India must ensure all content is treated equally.

(Also see: Flipkart Pulls Out of Airtel Zero After Net Neutrality Protests: 10 Latest Developments)

Bansal said Flipkart's discussions with Airtel were not a mistake.

"We looked into zero-rating program deeply, and we felt that in the long term it can lead to violation of the spirit of net neutrality," he explained. "As a company, we very deeply believe in the principles of net neutrality. That [net neutrality] is one of the big reasons why e-commerce has grown in the country as much as it has, though it has a long way to go."

He also downplayed the suggestion that last week's huge backlash against Flipkart - including users giving its app a poor rating on app stores - was a reason for the u-turn on its stance on Airtel Zero.

"It took us some time to understand what it means for consumers. In the end we took the right decision for our consumers and for the future of Internet," Bansal said.

Zero rating - like the Airtel platform - is described by critics as "sponsored data" because end customers are not charged. Startups and small companies who are unable to foot the bill are therefore excluded from this sort of platform - which can hurt innovation, and makes it tough for newbies to compete with established players.

"Zero rating can make Internet unaffordable for smaller companies and data more expensive," Bansal said.

Pledging the 8-year-old company's commitment to net neutrality, Bansal said that the firm will "make its voice heard" by offering inputs in ongoing discussion with the government and telecom regulator Trai to help shape policy

"So, for us," Bansal added, "it's very important to make sure that Internet grows in a manner where it is democratic, equally accessible, and [with] absolutely no discrimination of any kind. Driven from those principles and beliefs, we decided to back out of this program."

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