TRAI releases Telecom Consumer Protection Amendment

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued the Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, today, addressing Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs) for voice and SMS services and revising the regulatory framework outlined in the Telecom Consumer Protection Regulations. Special Tariff Vouchers represent prepaid tariff products furnished by telecom service providers (TSPs) for defined services and validity durations. TRAI stipulates that TSPs must now provide a greater selection of voice and SMS-only STVs catering to consumers who do not necessitate bundled data services. The revised regulations mandate that TSPs offer voice and SMS-only STVs with validities mirroring each period of 30 days and durations under 30 days accessible for bundled voice, SMS, and data STVs. Furthermore, TSPs are obligated to supply at least one voice and SMS-only STV with a recurring validity aligned with the same date each month, or the month’s final day should that date be unavailable. The prescribed voice and SMS-only STVs must feature a commensurate and meaningfully reduced tariff relative to bundled service plans.