TRAI mandates more voice and SMS only recharge options; Vi shares soar
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday released the Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulation, 2026, mandating telecom service providers to offer more Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs) exclusively for voice and SMS.
The amendment seeks to address the limited availability of voice-and-SMS-only STVs, particularly shorter-duration options. TRAI said it had observed that such vouchers were available in limited numbers and were largely concentrated around longer validities, leaving low-income consumers with fewer affordable shorter-duration choices.
Bharti Airtel was trading at around Rs 1,816.65 apiece on the BSE, down about 0.73% as of 1:45 PM on Tuesday. Vodafone Idea, meanwhile, was around Rs 14.13, up 2.10%.
TRAI had issued the draft amendment for consultation on April 7, 2026. It received 1,132 responses from stakeholders and held an Open House Discussion on June 15 before finalising the regulations.
Under the amended rules, telecom service providers will have to offer voice-and-SMS-only STVs with an appropriate reduction in tariff for every validity period of 30 days and less than 30 days for which they offer STVs combining voice, SMS and data.
Operators will also have to offer a voice-and-SMS-only STV with validity that can be renewed on the same date every month. If that date is not available in a particular month, the renewal date will be the last day of that month.
In addition, operators will have to offer at least one voice-and-SMS-only STV with a validity longer than the above options, corresponding to the validity period of the voice, SMS and data STVs being offered.
TRAI said the amended tariff framework would provide low-income consumers with more options and allow them to recharge according to their requirements and financial capacity. :The Authority is of the view that such a tariff framework would sufficiently address consumer requirements. This amended regulation will provide low-income consumers with more options, allowing them to recharge according to their requirements and financial capacity. Overall, it will improve choices for consumers preferring not to use STVs bundled with data," the telecom regulator said.
The regulator also said the changes would improve choices for consumers who prefer not to use STVs bundled with data.
The changes also come as telecom operators have been focusing on monetisation and average revenue per user. Bharti Airtel, for instance, had raised the entry price of some unlimited daily-data prepaid plans to Rs 349 from Rs 299 in August. The company's mobile ARPU stood at Rs 264 in the June quarter, up from Rs 250 a year earlier.
The amendment seeks to address the limited availability of voice-and-SMS-only STVs, particularly shorter-duration options. TRAI said it had observed that such vouchers were available in limited numbers and were largely concentrated around longer validities, leaving low-income consumers with fewer affordable shorter-duration choices.
Bharti Airtel was trading at around Rs 1,816.65 apiece on the BSE, down about 0.73% as of 1:45 PM on Tuesday. Vodafone Idea, meanwhile, was around Rs 14.13, up 2.10%.
TRAI had issued the draft amendment for consultation on April 7, 2026. It received 1,132 responses from stakeholders and held an Open House Discussion on June 15 before finalising the regulations.
Under the amended rules, telecom service providers will have to offer voice-and-SMS-only STVs with an appropriate reduction in tariff for every validity period of 30 days and less than 30 days for which they offer STVs combining voice, SMS and data.
Operators will also have to offer a voice-and-SMS-only STV with validity that can be renewed on the same date every month. If that date is not available in a particular month, the renewal date will be the last day of that month.
In addition, operators will have to offer at least one voice-and-SMS-only STV with a validity longer than the above options, corresponding to the validity period of the voice, SMS and data STVs being offered.
TRAI said the amended tariff framework would provide low-income consumers with more options and allow them to recharge according to their requirements and financial capacity. :The Authority is of the view that such a tariff framework would sufficiently address consumer requirements. This amended regulation will provide low-income consumers with more options, allowing them to recharge according to their requirements and financial capacity. Overall, it will improve choices for consumers preferring not to use STVs bundled with data," the telecom regulator said.
The regulator also said the changes would improve choices for consumers who prefer not to use STVs bundled with data.
The changes also come as telecom operators have been focusing on monetisation and average revenue per user. Bharti Airtel, for instance, had raised the entry price of some unlimited daily-data prepaid plans to Rs 349 from Rs 299 in August. The company's mobile ARPU stood at Rs 264 in the June quarter, up from Rs 250 a year earlier.
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