New mobile recharge rules: 30-day plans, call-only options and more
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has unveiled enhancements to prepaid mobile recharge options, featuring more voice-and-SMS-only Special Tariff Vouchers. Users can now access plans with a validity of 30 days or less. This initiative is especially beneficial for senior citizens and budget-conscious individuals who prefer voice-only prepaid plans without data, addressing concerns raised by…
New rules for prepaid mobile users in India will introduce more options for voice-and-SMS-only plans, including 30-day validity periods. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) notified the Telecom Consumers Protection (13th Amendment) Regulations, 2026 on September 22 to address concerns raised by Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha.
These changes will provide greater availability of voice-and-SMS-only Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs) with validity periods of 30 days or less, as well as vouchers that can renew on the same date each month. The regulations also mandate shorter-duration bundled plans to include corresponding voice-and-SMS-only vouchers with reduced tariffs.
The 30-day validity issue was raised by Chadha, who questioned why prepaid users had to recharge 13 times a year due to the 28-day validity offered on many monthly plans. Additionally, the new rules cater to consumers who primarily use their phones for calls and do not require mobile data, offering voice-only prepaid plans for incoming and outgoing facilities.
These changes were the result of a consultation process receiving 1,132 responses from stakeholders.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
