Relief from costly data recharges! TRAI orders telecom companies to offer affordable voice, SMS-only plans

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) just made life a bit easier for millions of Indian feature phone users to keep an eye on their mobile spend. With the Telecom Consumer Protection (13th Amendment) Regulations, 2026, the telecom operators now have to offer affordable voice-and-SMS-only plans with different validity options. This is not just a suggestion anymore, but it's a mandatory rule to be followed by all telecom operators.

Addressing market gaps: Feature phone users and smartphone users

To recall, after rolling out the Twelfth Amendment in 2024, TRAI noticed the telecom service providers were shrinking the number of simple, call-and-text plans for the users. Most of the telcos wanted you to buy for a long stretch or bundle it with data that you do not want, pushing customers with tight budgets to pay more or buy stuff they did not need.

TRAI did not just act on a hunch. They opened a public consultation on April 7, 2026, got over a thousand responses, and held a big discussion in June. Armed with all that feedback, they crafted this amendment to finally give people flexible, lower-cost choices.

Key mandates under the 13th amendment from TRAI

Telecom providers now have to launch discounted, call-and-text-only vouchers that cover:

1. Short validity: Anything with 30 days or less, matched to what’s already available for data plans.
2. Simple monthly renewal: Plans that renew on the same day each month (or shift to the last day if needed, like for February).
3. Longer terms: At least one plan for those who want a voice-and-text-only option that lasts as long as the usual data bundles.

Promoting inclusivity in telecom access

TRAI’s goal here is clear—they want to make sure that people who rely on basic feature phones or just do not use mobile data (internet service, social media, and more) can pick what suits their needs, without burning a hole in their pockets. By separating calling and messaging from data, consumers will finally get a fair shot at paying only for what they actually need—which will be cost-effective.

TRAI further strengthened its framework against unsolicited commercial communications by bringing AI-based spam detection and new rules for automated commercial calls. 

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