TRAI orders telecom companies to offer voice and SMS-only plans
Companies must also offer at least one longer voice-and-SMS-only plan, matching the validity of any longer data-bundled plan they already sell
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has ordered telecom companies in India to offer voice and SMS-only recharge plans for customers who do not require mobile data. This new requirement follows an amendment to TRAI's consumer protection regulations, which came into effect 30 days after its gazette publication on September 21.
The amendment mandates that every telecom company must provide voice-and-SMS-only plans for validity periods of 30 days or less that match regular voice-SMS-data plans they already offer. These plans must renew on the same date each month, and if that date doesn't fall in a particular month, the plan should renew on the last day of that month.
In addition to these shorter plans, companies must offer at least one longer voice-and-SMS-only plan that matches the validity of any longer data-bundled plan they sell. TRAI suggested pricing based on the average revenue earned per subscriber per GB of data, which has declined over time due to increased data consumption. While consumers and consumer groups welcomed the initiative, some stakeholders argued that there was limited demand for such plans, citing India's push for digital inclusion and services like telemedicine that require internet access.
TRAI reviewed the feedback and decided to allow "appropriate" price reductions rather than a fixed formula, while noting the possibility of future review.
Written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
