The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has ordered telecom operators to make regulator-mandated prepaid recharge plans easier for customers to find on their websites and mobile apps.
Under the new direction issued on October 1, telecom service providers must create a separate and clearly visible section titled “TRAI-Mandated Packs”. The section must appear as the first tab in the prepaid recharge section of the operators’ websites and mobile applications.
The same mandated plans must also be prominently displayed at the operators’ exclusive points of sale.
Why TRAI Issued the New Direction
TRAI said it received complaints from consumers about the lack of adequate transparency, visibility and ease of access to different types of mandated tariff vouchers.
The regulator subsequently examined telecom operators’ websites and mobile applications and found that some of these vouchers were not prominently displayed. In some cases, consumers had to navigate through different categories and multiple screens to locate them.
The new direction therefore focuses not on creating an entirely new category of recharge plans, but on making plans that operators are already required to offer much easier to discover.
What Will Change for Jio, Airtel, Vi and BSNL Users?
For prepaid customers, the most visible change will be the new TRAI-Mandated Packs section.
Instead of searching through several recharge categories, users should be able to open the prepaid recharge section of an operator’s website or app and find the regulator-mandated options in the first tab.
The requirement applies to telecom service providers, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and BSNL.
The packs covered by the regulatory framework include certain Plan Vouchers (PVs), Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs) and Combo Vouchers.
Voice and SMS-Only Plans Will Also Get More Visibility
The timing of the direction is significant because TRAI recently finalized its 13th Amendment to the Telecom Consumer Protection Regulations.
Under that framework, operators have to offer Special Tariff Vouchers exclusively for voice and SMS, without bundled data, for corresponding validity periods of 30 days or less. The framework also includes a voucher renewable on the same date every month and a longer-validity option corresponding to applicable existing vouchers.
The new display requirement means these options should no longer be difficult to locate within a large catalogue of data-heavy recharge plans.
This could be particularly relevant for users who primarily need their mobile connection for calls and SMS and do not want to pay for a large bundled data allowance.
30-Day Recharge Plans Also Come Under the Spotlight
TRAI’s existing tariff framework requires every telecom service provider to offer at least one Plan Voucher, one Special Tariff Voucher and one Combo Voucher with a validity of 30 days.
Operators are also required to provide plans that can be renewed on the same date every month, with the final day of the month used when the corresponding date does not exist.
The new interface requirement should make these options easier for customers to identify when comparing prepaid plans.
Importantly, this does not mean that existing 28-day bundled data plans have been banned. Operators can continue offering their existing tariff structures as long as they comply with TRAI’s applicable regulations.
TRAI Is Targeting Discoverability, Not Just Availability
The regulator’s latest move highlights a distinction between making a recharge plan available and making it easy for consumers to find.
A plan may technically be present in an operator’s catalogue, but customers may still struggle to locate it if it is buried several screens deep or placed under an unexpected category.
TRAI’s direction specifically addresses this issue by prescribing the name and placement of the new section.
The regulator said its objective in mandating particular vouchers is to provide consumers with appropriate tariff choices so they can make informed decisions.
When Do Operators Have to Comply?
Telecom operators have been given 30 days from the date of the October 1 direction to comply and submit a compliance report to TRAI.
That puts the reporting deadline at October 30, 2026.
The requirement also extends beyond the operators’ digital platforms. TRAI has directed that the mandated packs be prominently displayed at their exclusive points of sale.
What This Means for Customers
For consumers, the practical change is relatively simple.
When looking for a prepaid recharge on an operator’s website or app, users should eventually see a dedicated TRAI-Mandated Packs section before the other prepaid recharge categories.
That section is expected to make it easier to compare options such as:
- 30-day prepaid plans
- Monthly-renewable plans
- Voice-and-SMS-only vouchers
- Other Plan Vouchers, Special Tariff Vouchers and Combo Vouchers covered by TRAI’s regulations
Customers who prefer data-heavy plans can continue to choose those plans separately.
Will This Make Recharge Plans Cheaper?
Not necessarily.
TRAI’s latest direction is primarily about visibility and accessibility, rather than directly fixing the prices of all prepaid plans. TRAI itself states that mobile tariffs are generally not fixed by the regulator and telecom operators retain flexibility to offer different tariffs, subject to regulatory principles.
However, the separate voice-and-SMS-only framework does require appropriate tariff reductions compared with corresponding bundled options.
The immediate effect of the October 1 direction is therefore that customers should have an easier time finding the regulated options that are already required to be offered.
The Bigger Change for India’s Prepaid Market
TRAI’s latest direction adds another layer to the regulator’s recent push for greater transparency in prepaid tariffs.
The earlier rules focused on ensuring that certain types of plans were available. The latest direction goes a step further by specifying how prominently those options must be presented to customers.
For Jio, Airtel, Vi and BSNL subscribers, the practical test will come when the operators update their apps and websites over the next 30 days.
If implemented as directed, customers looking for a basic 30-day, monthly-renewable or voice-and-SMS-only recharge should no longer have to search through multiple categories before finding the relevant options.
