30-day mobile recharges, voice-only plans to be offered under new TRAI rules: Raghav Chadha
Raghav Chadha confirms TRAI's new rules will introduce 30-day validity and voice-only recharge plans for prepaid users.
Prepaid mobile users in India are set to benefit from more flexible connectivity options following new consumer protection rules from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). According to Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, the new regulations will introduce 30-day mobile recharge plans and specialized voice-and-SMS-only options, addressing long-standing grievances regarding plan validity and data requirements.
End of the 28-day recharge cycle?
For years, prepaid subscribers have faced a peculiar mathematical hurdle: because many "monthly" plans were only valid for 28 days, users were forced to recharge 13 times a year rather than 12. Raghav Chadha highlighted this discrepancy, questioning why standard monthly plans did not align with the actual calendar months.
The newly notified Telecom Consumers Protection (13th Amendment) Regulations, 2026 aim to rectify this by allowing service providers to offer:
- 30-day validity plans: Aligning recharge cycles with the standard calendar month.
- Auto-renewal options: Plans that can renew on the same date every month.
- Voice-and-SMS-only Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs): Dedicated options for users who do not require internet data.
Relief for senior citizens and budget users
The introduction of voice-only plans is expected to be a significant relief for specific demographics. Many users, particularly senior citizens and low-budget consumers, rely on mobile phones primarily for incoming and outgoing calls rather than high-speed data consumption.
Under the new framework, telecom service providers must ensure that if they offer bundled plans with shorter validity, they must also provide corresponding voice-and-SMS-only vouchers with an appropriate reduction in tariff. This ensures that users are not forced to pay for expensive data bundles they have no intention of using.
A victory for consumer advocacy
The regulatory shift comes after an extensive consultation process that saw 1,132 responses from various stakeholders. Raghav Chadha noted that this development is a direct result of issues raised in Parliament, serving as an example of how public concerns can lead to meaningful regulatory action.
“I think this is a perfect example of constructive politics,” Chadha remarked, emphasizing that addressing these "real problems" faced by the common man is essential for effective governance.