The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has told telecom operators to offer voice-and-SMS-only prepaid plans at reduced tariffs, including plans with short validity periods. The rules were notified on September 22, 2026. They are aimed at people who pay for mobile data they never use, such as low-income consumers, elderly users and secondary SIM owners.
Key Facts
- The new rules are the Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, notified on September 22, 2026.
- Every bundled voice, SMS and data plan with a validity of 30 days or less must have a matching voice-and-SMS-only plan at a reduced tariff.
- Operators must offer a voice-and-SMS-only plan that renews on the same date every month.
- At least one longer-validity voice-and-SMS-only plan is also mandatory.
- The draft received 1,132 stakeholder responses, and an open house discussion was held on June 15, 2026.
What TRAI has changed
Prepaid recharges in India are sold as Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs). Each STV is a pack for specific services with a fixed validity. Most popular STVs bundle calls, SMS and data together, so users who only make calls still pay for data.
The Thirteenth Amendment adds three obligations for operators.
First, operators must mirror their short-validity plans. For every bundled voice, SMS and data plan valid for 30 days or less, they must offer a corresponding voice-and-SMS-only plan with the same validity and an appropriately reduced price. If an operator sells a 28-day plan with data, it must also sell a 28-day plan with only calls and SMS.
Second, operators must offer a voice-and-SMS-only plan that renews on the same calendar date every month. If that date does not exist in a given month, such as the 31st, the renewal falls on the last day of that month.
Third, operators must offer at least one voice-and-SMS-only plan with a longer validity, matching one of the longer periods offered on bundled plans.
Why the regulator stepped in
This is not TRAI’s first attempt. The Twelfth Amendment in 2024 already required operators to offer at least one standalone voice-and-SMS STV.
According to TRAI, the market response was thin. Operators launched only a few such plans, and most of them had long validity periods. People who could not afford a large upfront recharge had no affordable short-duration option without data. The new framework closes that gap by tying voice-and-SMS-only plans to each short validity operators already sell.
TRAI said the amended rules will give low-income consumers more choice and let them recharge according to their needs and budget.
How the rules were finalised
TRAI published the draft amendment for consultation on April 7, 2026. It received 1,132 responses from consumers and industry stakeholders, then held an open house discussion on June 15, 2026. The regulator says the final rules are based on those responses and its own analysis.
Who benefits
The change is aimed at users who rely on their phones for calls, texts and OTPs, not internet access. That includes elderly people on basic phones, people who keep a second SIM only for calls or banking OTPs, and budget-conscious households. For them, a cheaper short-validity plan without data could lower the cost of keeping a number active.
What we don’t know yet
The reported announcement does not give exact prices or a percentage for the “reduced tariff”. It also does not say when operators must launch the new plans. Airtel, Jio and Vi have not yet announced plans under the new framework.
These rules extend the voice-and-SMS-only mandate from a single plan to a full set of validity options. How much users actually save depends on how operators price the new plans once they launch.
Sources: Beebom Gadgets, Business Standard, ANI, IASPOINT
