TRAI directs telecom operators to prominently display mandatory recharge plans and STVs

India's Telecom regulator TRAI does not seem to be happy with the way the country's mobile service providers -- Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone-Idea -- show prepaid packs and special tariff vouchers. In a notification issued recently, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has asked mobile service providers to prominently display mandatory recharge plans and special tariff vouchers on their websites, mobile apps and exclusive points of sale. These regulations are called the Telecom Consumers Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026. TRAI maintains that it has come with new guidelines after receiving complaints from consumers. It further claims that the regulator too has verified that the telecom operators had placed plans on their websites and apps in a manner that they were not easily visible.

In a similar notification, earlier this year, TRAI had also mandated telecom operators to issue special tariff vouchers for voice calls and SMS at a lower cost, as they will not come bundled with data services. Under the mandate, telecom operators will have to issue Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs) for voice calls and SMS only, similar to the existing ones that come bundled with data, voice calls and SMS, carrying validity of 30 days or less. For those unaware, an STV works like a booster recharge for prepaid mobile customers, allowing them to avail of extra benefits by paying an additional amount through these vouchers, like making international calls at lower rates, adding the benefit of unlimited calls in the existing plan, among others. While some STVs offering data services are available for a validity of up to 365 days, TRAI's new regulation focuses on vouchers with a validity of 30 days and less. These rules are aimed to help people in rural areas and customers with low paying capacity. Trai has mandated that every telecom operator must offer at least one plan voucher, one Special Tariff Voucher and one combo voucher having a validity of thirty days.

What TRAI order says

"...the Authority...hereby directs all telecom service providers to...provide a separate and clearly visible tab or section titled "TRAI-Mandated Packs" containing different types of TRAI mandated vouchers, which shall be visible as the first tab on the prepaid recharge section on the websites and mobile apps of the service providers and shall also be prominently displayed on their other exclusive points of sale," the TRAI order says. The regulator, however, came across complaints from various subscribers to the different types of Trai-mandated vouchers on the websites and to the different types of Trai-mandated vouchers on the websites and mobile applications of the service provider. "In some cases, these vouchers are placed under different categories or require consumers to navigate through multiple pages or screens to find them, as a result of which consumers are facing difficulty in locating and subscribing to the vouchers suitable to their requirements," the regulator said.

TRAI order on STVs

Similar to Prepaid packs, TRAI acknowledged that upon examination of the websites and mobile applications of various telecom service providers, it was observed that Trai-mandated vouchers are neither displayed prominently nor are easily accessible. "Provided also that the service provider shall offer Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs) with appropriate reduction in tariff, exclusively for Voice and SMS for:(i) validities corresponding to each validity period of thirty days and less than thirty days for STV being offered for Voice, SMS and data, whether with or without value added services and;(ii) validity renewable on the same date of every month and if the date of such renewal is not available in a month, the date of renewal shall be the last date of that month and;(iii) at least one STV with validity more than (i) and (ii) above, corresponding to the validity period of STVs being offered for Voice, SMS and data, whether with or without value added services."

Deadline for compliance

Telecom regulator has now directed Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone-Idea to comply with the order within thirty days from the date of issuing the direction (October 1).