Overview
- TRAI on Sunday finalized the Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, which replace 28-day cycles with 30-day recharge options and allow separate voice and SMS-only plans.
- The rules require every operator to offer at least one Special Tariff Voucher (STV) that renews on the same calendar date each month with a fallback to the month's last day and at least one STV with longer validity while most STVs must be 30 days or less.
- Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said he raised the 28-day validity issue in Parliament in March and welcomed the new regulations on social media as a win for consumers who mainly use calls and texts.
- TRAI prepared the final rules after receiving 1,132 responses to its draft and holding an Open House Discussion on June 15, 2026, but the regulator and operators have not published a timetable for when carriers must implement the changes.
- For prepaid users the practical effect should be fewer annual recharges and clearer expiry dates, while the telecom industry may adjust pricing and plan mixes in response to the standardized monthly and STV rules.