China’s three major mobile operators stopped promoting unlimited data plans after the government determined their offers were misleading.

The move comes after the promotions were deemed as false advertising by the industrial and commercial administration and questioned by the China Consumers Association, C114.net reported. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also criticised the practice and ordered the companies stop the campaigns.

China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom replaced unlimited offers on their websites with slogans including “Enjoy trustworthy use”, the news site said.

The crackdown comes despite operators significantly reducing data rates this year. Average data tariffs in the first eight months of the year at China Mobile, for example, are down by 60 per cent from the same period in 2017, C114.net reported. The operator’s 4G ARPU dropped nearly 10 per cent year-on-year to CNY64.40 ($9.29) at end-June.

In an ongoing battle over the promotion of unlimited tariffs, Australia’s competition watchdog last month threatened legal action against operators if they fail to ensure their advertising is clear and transparent.