Relief For 30 Crore Mobile Users Who Do Not Want Data: TRAI Mandates Cheaper Voice-Only Recharge Options
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Over 115 crore prepaid mobile subscribers across India will no longer be forced to pay for unused internet data, as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued new regulations mandating telecom operators to offer cheaper, standalone Voice and SMS recharge plans across all validity tiers.
The Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, released on September 21, 2026, by TRAI Secretary Harinder Kumar, aims to resolve tariff distortions that left non-data users with limited, expensive recharge options. Under the new rules, every time a telecom provider offers a bundled Special Tariff Voucher (STV) with voice, SMS, and data, it must also provide a matching voice-and-SMS-only pack at a proportionately lower price.
Major Financial Relief for Feature Phone Users
The regulatory intervention brings direct relief to nearly 25 to 30 crore Indians who rely on basic feature phones. Major telecom operators like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea previously concentrated voice-only offers on long-validity packs, compelling low-income users to purchase bundled daily-data plans costing ₹200 to ₹300 per month.
Under the amended guidelines finalised after reviewing 1,132 stakeholder responses and conducting an Open House Discussion on June 15, 2026, operators must provide calling-focused STVs for validities of 30 days or less. This ensures low-income households can recharge strictly according to their immediate financial capacity without paying for data overheads.
End to 28-Day Recharge Cycles
The regulator has also addressed long-standing consumer grievances regarding truncated billing cycles. Operators must now offer voice-and-SMS packs valid for exactly 30 days, as well as plans that renew on the exact same date every month.
If a renewal date is not present in a given month—such as February 29 or 31—the plan will automatically renew on the final day of that month. The structure eliminates the traditional 28-day billing cycle, which previously forced consumers to make 13 recharges in a 12-month calendar year.
Savings for Secondary SIM Holders
The mandate provides significant savings for consumers maintaining a secondary mobile connection strictly for incoming calls, business contacts, or banking OTPs.
Prior to this amendment, secondary SIM holders were forced to buy data bundles to keep their numbers active. The introduction of short-duration, standalone calling vouchers allows these users to maintain active connections at a fraction of their current monthly outlay while expanding choices across all validity slabs.
