Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea opposed TRAI’s proposal for wider voice-and-SMS-only recharge options, arguing that India’s mobile market has become increasingly data-centric and that operators need flexibility to design tariffs.
Jio, Airtel and Vi Opposed Wider Voice-Only Packs
Detailed submissions made during TRAI’s consultation on the Telecom Consumers Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, show that all three major private operators raised objections to mandatory expansion of voice-and-SMS-only Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs). TRAI’s consultation page lists Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel among the service providers that submitted comments.
The operators broadly argued that consumers increasingly rely on mobile data for payments, government services and other digital activities. Airtel described India as a “data-first” market and said average monthly wireless data usage had reached approximately 27–30GB per user. Vi cited TRAI data showing average monthly wireless data consumption of 25.7GB per user in the quarter ending December 2025.
Airtel Says Rs 199 Pack Already Serves Voice-Centric Users
Bharti Airtel argued that consumers looking for a low-cost, voice-led option already have access to its Rs 199 prepaid pack with 28-day validity. According to Airtel’s submission, the pack includes around 2GB of data for the entire validity period, primarily as a small allowance for essential services such as UPI and other low-bandwidth applications.
Airtel said forcing operators to create voice-and-SMS-only versions corresponding to every bundled plan could duplicate existing options, fragment tariff portfolios and affect the commercial balance of longer-validity packs.
The company also objected to the draft proposal’s earlier wording calling for “largely proportional” tariff reductions when data was removed. Airtel argued that such a mechanism would amount to regulatory intervention in the internal pricing structure of bundled plans and would weaken the existing tariff-forbearance framework.
Jio Says Data Has Become Integral to Mobile Services
Reliance Jio similarly argued that data services have become a basic component of modern telecom usage. In its submission, Jio said its voice and data plans already provide unlimited voice along with data, while consumers who use less data can choose plans with smaller data allocations.
Jio also questioned the need for multiple voice-and-SMS-only plans. It estimated that the proposed framework could increase the number of exclusive voice/SMS STVs from the existing one or two to around eight to 12 for an operator, depending on the validity periods offered.
The operator further argued that customers using a voice-only plan could still need data for UPI payments, online recharges, government services, ticket bookings and other everyday activities. Jio therefore maintained that existing low-data plans provide a way for voice-centric users to remain connected to digital services.
Vi Raises Network and Spam-Use Concerns
Vodafone Idea also opposed mandatory voice-and-SMS-only options across validity periods. Vi argued that the cost of maintaining an active subscriber on a telecom network includes spectrum, infrastructure, signalling and other fixed operational expenses, meaning that removing a small data allocation would not necessarily result in a comparable reduction in the underlying cost of the plan.
Vi also raised a separate concern about lower-priced voice-and-SMS-heavy plans potentially becoming attractive to unregistered telemarketers and entities involved in unsolicited commercial communications. The company said such plans could increase the risk of misuse if they made voice-heavy connectivity available at lower prices without a data component. This was an operator submission, not a finding by TRAI.
TRAI Has Finalised the Voice-SMS-Only Framework
Despite the industry’s objections, TRAI finalised the 13th Amendment in September. The final regulation requires operators to provide voice-and-SMS-only STVs with shorter validity choices, including validity periods of 30 days or less, a monthly renewal option tied to the same date each month where possible, and at least one longer-validity option.
Importantly, the final regulation does not prescribe a fixed percentage price cut. Instead, it requires an “appropriate reduction” in tariff for the voice-and-SMS-only options. This is different from the “largely proportional” pricing language contained in the earlier draft.
The final rules are set to take effect 30 days after publication in the Official Gazette, putting the implementation timeline around October 21, 2026.
Operators Now Face Tariff Reworking
The submissions show that the disagreement is not simply about whether voice-only plans should exist. The larger issue is how much control operators retain over tariff design and how the removal of data should translate into the price of a standalone voice-and-SMS plan.
With the regulatory framework now finalised, Jio, Airtel and Vi will have to adjust their tariff portfolios while continuing to argue for commercial flexibility. The resulting plans and pricing will determine how closely the operators’ existing low-cost bundled offerings are reshaped around TRAI’s new requirements.
