TRAI releases Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released the Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulation, 2026, finalised after a draft consultation issued on 7 April 2026 drew 1,132 stakeholder responses and an Open House Discussion held on 15 June 2026. The amendment addresses a gap since the Twelfth Amendment (2024), under which Voice-and-SMS-only Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs) were mostly offered only with longer validities, leaving low-income consumers without affordable short-duration options. The new rules mandate telecom operators offer Voice-and-SMS-only STVs at validities of thirty days or less, one that renews on a fixed monthly date, and at least one longer-validity option matching existing bundled STVs - giving consumers more choice without being forced into data-bundled recharges.