The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has proposed new rules that will require telecom operators to come up with more affordable mobile plans that focus solely on voice calls and SMS services. This proposal is a part of the proposed amendments to the ‘Telecom Consumer Protection Rules, 2026’. Its aim is to increase price transparency and give customers more flexibility in choosing their plans.
According to reports, the regulator in its proposal noted that, although operators were earlier asked to introduce ‘Special Tariff Vouchers’ (STV) offering only voice and SMS services, such options are still limited in the market; Additionally, despite not including data benefits, the prices of these plans are often very high. TRAI found that the existing measures did not achieve the desired results, necessitating the imposition of more stringent guidelines.
Under the new draft rules, telecom companies like Vi, Jio and Airtel may have to come up with a special ‘voice and SMS only’ plan for every ‘validity period’ offered in their existing ‘bundled data packs’. This means that customers will soon have such a variety of options available and will no longer be forced to pay money for Internet services they don’t really need.
TRAI believes that this initiative will help in ensuring fair pricing. Writing on Provides voice and SMS services. The prices of such ‘Voice and SMS only’ special tariff vouchers will be significantly reduced in proportion to the existing tariff structure.”
