Mumbai: In a major relief for millions of mobile phone users across the country, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has mandated telecom operators to offer affordable prepaid recharge options exclusively for voice calls and SMS. The new directive aims to protect consumers—especially low-income groups—from being forced to pay for bundled mobile data that they do not require.
On Tuesday, the regulator released the Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulation, 2026. Under this revised framework, telecom service providers like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea must now introduce “voice and SMS-only” Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs) for every validity period of 30 days or less where they currently offer bundled data plans.
Crucially, TRAI has directed that the pricing of these data-free plans must reflect an appropriate and proportional reduction in tariff compared to their data-inclusive counterparts. Furthermore, operators are required to offer a voice and SMS plan that can be renewed on the exact same date every month, as well as at least one long-term plan extending beyond the 30-day validity cycle.
Explaining the rationale behind the move, the telecom regulator noted that existing voice-only vouchers were severely limited and largely restricted to long-term validities. “This amended regulation will provide low-income consumers with more options, allowing them to recharge according to their requirements and financial capacity. Overall, it will improve choices for consumers preferring not to use STVs bundled with data,” TRAI stated.
To ensure transparency and accessibility, the regulator has also ordered telecom companies to display these voice-only plans prominently across their official websites, mobile applications, customer care centres, and retail outlets. This prevents more affordable packages from being hidden beneath expensive bundled options.
The market reacted swiftly to the regulatory update on Tuesday. Shares of Vodafone Idea (Vi) surged by 2.10 per cent to trade at Rs 14.13 on the BSE, reflecting positive investor sentiment. In contrast, Bharti Airtel witnessed a marginal dip of 0.73 per cent, trading at Rs 1,816.65, as the broader industry grapples with the potential impact of cheaper plans on their Average Revenue Per User (ARPU).