The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has announced new regulations aimed at providing more flexible prepaid mobile options for users. Under the Telecom Consumers Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, telecom operators, including Airtel, Jio, and Vodafone Idea, must now offer 30-day plans as well as voice-and-SMS-only packages.
This move is intended to cater to customers who primarily use their phones for calls and messages, without the need for mobile data services. The new rules stipulate that operators must provide voice-and-SMS-only plans for various validity periods of 30 days or less, corresponding to their bundled data plans. Additionally, TRAI mandates that monthly plans should renew on the same date each month; if that date is not present in a given month, the renewal should occur on the last day of that month.
TRAI has also directed telecom companies to offer at least one longer-duration voice-and-SMS-only plan, aligning with the validity of their existing longer data-bundled plans. These changes follow earlier directions from December 2024, in which TRAI found that operators had not sufficiently expanded voice-and-SMS-only options across different validity periods.
The introduction of these new plans is expected to provide greater choice for consumers, particularly benefiting senior citizens and users looking for cost-effective options without mobile data. By expanding the range of plans available, TRAI aims to address the diverse needs of mobile users in India.