Trai mandates voice, SMS-only tariff plans despite Jio, Airtel, Vi opposition
Mumbai: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has mandated telecom operators to offer affordable tariff plans for consumers seeking voice and SMS services without bundled data, despite opposition from operators.
The regulator on Monday released the Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026. Under the new rules, operators will have to offer special tariff vouchers (STVs) for voice and SMS with validity periods corresponding to each 30-day period and periods shorter than 30 days. They will also have to offer a voice-and-SMS STV that can be renewed on the same date every month.
