New Delhi, Sept. 22 -- The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has directed telecom operators to offer special tariff vouchers (STVs) exclusively for voice calls and SMS at reduced tariffs, without bundled data services.
The requirement is part of the Telecom Consumers Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, issued on Tuesday. Operators must provide a voice and SMS-only STV for every validity period of 30 days or less offered for plans combining voice, SMS and data.
Trai said the move addresses cases where customers who do not need data are required to buy bundled plans, increasing their expenses and limiting their choices. The regulator said the revised framework would give low-income consumers more flexibility to select recharges based on their needs and financial capacity. STVs are additional prepaid vouchers that provide benefits such as discounted international calls or unlimited calling under an existing plan.
The rules also require operators to offer at least one voice and SMS-only STV with a validity of more than 30 days corresponding to the validity of a bundled voice, SMS and data STV. For monthly vouchers, the validity must fall on the same date each month or the last day of the month. The regulations will take effect 30 days after notification in the official gazette.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.