Trai Orders Voice And SMS-Only Recharge Plans At Lower Tariffs

Telecom users may soon have a cheaper option to recharge their mobile phones if they only need calling and SMS services. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has mandated telecom companies to offer special tariff vouchers (STVs) meant only for voice calls and SMS.

The change comes through the Telecom Consumers Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026. It targets STVs with a validity of 30 days or less and requires operators to provide a voice and SMS-only option wherever a similar voice, SMS and data voucher is available.

Data-Free Recharge Options For Users

Trai has found that customers who do not need mobile data can end up paying for bundled plans because comparable voice and SMS-only options are not always available.

Under the amended rules, if an operator offers a particular STV combining voice, SMS and data for a specific validity period, it will also have to offer a corresponding STV covering only voice and SMS. The voice and SMS voucher will have to carry an appropriate reduction in tariff.

For instance, if a telecom company offers a 28-day STV with calling, SMS and data, it will also need to provide a 28-day option covering only calling and SMS.

Trai has indicated that the change is aimed at giving consumers more flexibility, particularly those with lower incomes or limited use of mobile data.

Rules Also Cover Longer Validity Plans

The amendment also covers STVs with validity of more than 30 days. Telecom operators will have to provide at least one voice and SMS-only STV corresponding to the validity period of the voice, SMS and data STVs they offer.

The rules also specify how the validity of such vouchers should be structured. Where a voucher is renewed monthly, its validity will fall on the same date of each month. If that date does not exist in a particular month, the last day of that month will apply.

STVs are additional prepaid recharge options that provide specific benefits for a defined period. These can include extra calling benefits, SMS services, or other services, depending on the voucher.

New Rules To Take Effect After 30 Days

Trai has brought in the amendment after reviewing the availability of different STVs across validity periods. The regulator has noted that operators offer voice, SMS and data combinations across different periods, but matching voice and SMS-only options are not consistently available.

The new framework is expected to give prepaid users another choice when selecting a recharge based on their actual requirements.

The amended regulations will come into force 30 days after their notification in the official gazette. Telecom operators will have to align their STV offerings with the new requirements within the applicable framework.