Prepaid mobile users in India are set to get more recharge options under a new Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) framework. The regulator has introduced rules requiring telecom service providers to offer shorter-validity voice-and-SMS-only plans, including options corresponding to 30-day and shorter validity periods.
The new framework also brings a monthly renewal option. This means users can choose a plan that renews on the same date every month instead of following a fixed 28-day cycle. TRAI notified the Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026 on September 22.
The changes apply to telecom operators, including Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea, and are particularly relevant for customers who do not need mobile data.
30-Day Recharge Plans To Become An Option
One of the key changes is the introduction of shorter-validity voice-and-SMS-only Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs).
Under the amended framework, operators have to offer corresponding voice-and-SMS-only vouchers for bundled voice, SMS and data STVs with validity periods of 30 days or less. The voice-and-SMS-only options must also carry an appropriate reduction in tariff.
This gives prepaid users an alternative to plans built around 28-day validity. A 30-day recharge can also change the number of monthly recharges required over a year. Instead of 13 recharge cycles under a 28-day pattern, users choosing 30-day plans could have 12 monthly recharge cycles.
However, the new rules do not mean that every existing 28-day plan will disappear. Operators are required to provide additional options under the new framework.
Monthly Renewal On The Same Date
TRAI has also introduced a monthly renewable option. Telecom operators will have to provide at least one voice-and-SMS-only STV that can be renewed on the same date every month. If that date does not exist in a particular month, the renewal will move to the last day of that month.
For example, a customer choosing a plan that starts on the 15th could have the renewal scheduled for the 15th of subsequent months. If a particular month does not have that date, the renewal would happen on the final day of that month.
This is separate from simply offering a 30-day validity period and is designed to provide another predictable recharge option.
Voice And SMS-Only Plans Without Data
The other major change concerns customers who do not need mobile data. TRAI’s amended framework requires operators to offer voice-and-SMS-only STVs corresponding to the shorter validity periods of their existing bundled plans. These plans do not require customers to pay for bundled data.
Such options can be useful for feature-phone users, customers who mainly make calls, people maintaining a secondary SIM and those who already have internet access through another connection.
The regulator said the change is intended to give consumers more flexibility to choose plans based on their requirements and financial capacity.
Prices Will Have To Be Reduced
The new voice-and-SMS-only vouchers cannot simply carry the same tariff as equivalent bundled plans.
TRAI requires an appropriate and largely proportional reduction in tariff for these plans because they do not include data. However, the regulator has not fixed one nationwide price for these vouchers.
Operators will continue to have flexibility in setting their tariffs while complying with the new framework.
Longer Validity Voice-SMS Plans Also Required
The changes are not restricted to 30-day or shorter plans. TRAI’s framework also requires operators to provide at least one voice-and-SMS-only STV with a validity period longer than the shorter and monthly-renewable options. This voucher has to correspond to the validity period of an existing longer voice, SMS and data STV.
This means customers will have voice-and-SMS-only choices across different validity periods rather than being limited to a single long-duration option.
Why TRAI Changed The Recharge Rules
The amendment follows TRAI’s earlier Telecom Consumer Protection framework. In 2024, the regulator required telecom service providers to offer at least one Special Tariff Voucher exclusively for voice and SMS.
TRAI later observed that only a limited number of such vouchers were available, with many concentrated around longer validity periods. The regulator subsequently proposed expanding shorter-duration voice-and-SMS-only options.
TRAI released the draft amendment for consultation in April 2026. The consultation process received 1,132 responses, followed by an Open House Discussion on June 15 before the final regulations were issued.
When Will The New Rules Apply?
The Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026 were notified in September and will come into force 30 days after publication in the Official Gazette. Based on the September notification timeline, telecom operators are expected to implement the requirements around October 21-22, 2026.
Customers may therefore start seeing the new recharge options as Airtel, Jio, Vi and other telecom providers update their prepaid portfolios.
What This Means For Prepaid Users
The new framework gives consumers more choice rather than replacing all existing recharge plans. Users who need data can continue choosing bundled plans, while customers who mainly need calls and SMS can look for voice-and-SMS-only alternatives.
The 30-day and monthly renewable options could also make recharge cycles easier to track. The exact prices and plan combinations, however, will depend on what individual telecom operators introduce while complying with TRAI’s requirements.
Conclusion
TRAI’s latest telecom rules expand the range of prepaid recharge options available in India. Airtel, Jio, Vi and other operators will have to offer voice-and-SMS-only plans corresponding to bundled plans with validity periods of 30 days or less, along with a monthly renewable option.
Operators must also provide appropriate tariff reductions on voice-and-SMS-only vouchers and at least one longer-validity option. The regulations are expected to take effect around late October, giving telecom companies time to update their prepaid offerings.
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