The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), on September 22, 2026, released the Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulation, 2026, aimed at expanding affordable recharge options for consumers who primarily use telecom services for voice calls and SMS. The amendment follows TRAI’s consultation on the draft regulations issued on April 7, 2026.

Reference 1: TRAI Proposes Mandatory Cheaper Voice and SMS-Only Plans for Users

Reference 2: TRAI Mandates Shorter-Validity Voice and SMS STVs to Give Low-Income Consumers More Options

India’s leading private telecom operators—Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJIL – Jio), and Vodafone Idea (Vi)—along with various associations, including GSMA, IAMAI, and COAI, as well as consumer bodies, submitted their comments on the draft consultation paper.

Now that TRAI has published the amendment, we believe Indian telecom operators will soon start revamping their prepaid tariff plans or launch new tariff plans that align with the regulator’s new guidelines.

But before that, let us look at some of the key points and comments made by private telecom operators regarding low-value plans and voice-only plans in their responses to TRAI’s draft consultation. This will give Indian customers—and the so-called analysts—a better understanding of what the operators have officially put on record.

1. The low-income group consumers are being deprived of affordable shorter duration choices.

2. The low-income group consumers, esp. those living in rural areas or using feature phones, require shorter validity packs so that they can recharge as per their requirements.

3. The existing packs are being offered in only two options of approximately quarterly and yearly validities.

Source link