Govt's new telecom rules explained, will your prepaid bill get cheaper from October: 5 things to know

The government has introduced new telecom rules to help consumers save money on mobile recharges, particularly those who use their phones mainly for calling and SMS and do not need mobile data. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has finalised the Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, requiring telecom operators to offer more voice-and-SMS-only recharge options without bundled data.The new rules aim to give users more options and make mobile recharges cheaper. They will apply to all Indian telecom operators, including Jio, Airtel and Vi. So what's changing and will your prepaid recharge actually get cheaper from October? Here are five things to know around the new telecom rules.1. Jio, Airtel and Vi must offer more voice-and-SMS-only plansUnder the new rules, TRAI is making it mandatory for telecom operators, including Jio, Airtel and Vi, to offer Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs) that provide voice calls and SMS without bundled mobile data. These options must be available for validity periods of 30 days or less, corresponding to the validity periods of existing plans that bundle voice, SMS and data.For example, if an operator offers a bundled recharge with 28 days of validity, it must also offer a voice-and-SMS-only option with the same validity. This gives users who do not need mobile data an alternative to paying for services they may not use. 2. These recharges must cost less than bundled plansTRAI has also directed telecom operators to offer voice-and-SMS-only vouchers with an “appropriate reduction in tariff” compared with plans that include data. The idea is to help users who do not need mobile data save money on their recharges.However, TRAI has not set a fixed discount or price for these plans. The actual savings will depend on the prices each operator sets for its plans.3. There must be a plan that renews on the same date every month The amendment also requires telecom operators to offer at least one voice-and-SMS-only voucher that renews on the same date every month. For example, if your plan renews on the 10th, it should renew on the 10th of every month. If that date does not fall in a particular month, the plan will renew on the last day of that month.This will give consumers a predictable monthly recharge option, instead of having to rely only on plans with fixed validity periods, such as 28 days.4. Telco should also offer longer-validity optionsThe rules also require telecom operators to offer at least one voice-and-SMS-only recharge plan with a longer validity period, similar to the longer-validity plans that include mobile data.TRAI says the changes will give low-income consumers more affordable recharge options to suit their needs and budgets. They will also help people who do not use mobile data and would rather pay only for calls and SMS.5. Will your prepaid bill get cheaper from October?TRAI released the final amendment on September 22, 2026. The new rules will come into force 30 days after their publication in the Official Gazette, which means they could take effect in October. Once the rules come into force, telecom operators such as Jio, Airtel and Vi will have to offer voice-and-SMS-only recharge plans without bundled mobile data, with an appropriate reduction in tariff compared with plans that include data.- Ends