The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has unveiled new regulations aimed at providing prepaid mobile users with more flexible recharge options, including 30-day plans and voice-and-SMS-only packages. Under the Telecom Consumers Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, telecom operators such as Airtel, Jio, and Vodafone Idea are mandated to offer these options.
These new plans are designed to cater to users who primarily rely on their phones for calls and messages, without the need for mobile data. TRAI’s regulations require operators to offer voice-and-SMS-only plans for various validity periods of 30 days or less, corresponding to existing bundled plans. Additionally, operators must provide at least one longer-duration voice-and-SMS-only plan that matches the validity of their longer data-bundled plans.
The regulations also stipulate that monthly plans should renew on the same date each month. In cases where that date does not exist in a particular month, the renewal will occur on the last day of that month.
These changes follow previous directions issued by TRAI in December 2024, which highlighted the need for expanded voice-and-SMS-only plan options. The regulator found that operators had not fully implemented such options across different validity periods, prompting the latest amendments.
The introduction of these plans is expected to provide additional choices for consumers, including senior citizens and users seeking lower-cost plans without mobile data. By offering these alternatives, TRAI aims to address the diverse needs of mobile users and enhance consumer flexibility in selecting mobile services that suit their specific usage patterns.