Good news for prepaid mobile users: Now get 30-day recharge plans under new TRAI rules
Raghav Chadha Says New Regulations Will Give Prepaid Users More Flexible Recharge Options
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, September 27, 2026: Prepaid mobile users in India will now have access to more flexible recharge options following the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) new consumer protection regulations.
TRAI released the Telecom Consumers Protection (13th Amendment) Regulations, 2026 on September 22, introducing provisions aimed at expanding the availability of shorter-duration voice and SMS-only recharge plans.
Reacting to the development, Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said consumers would now have access to 30-day recharge plans, which he said could reduce the need for 13 monthly recharges to 12 in a year.
Chadha shared the information in a social media post on September 27, saying consumers had previously raised concerns with him about limited and inflexible recharge options.
He also said he had raised the issue of telecom companies’ “28-day math” in Parliament on March 11 and thanked the government and TRAI for addressing the issue.
Under the amended framework, telecom service providers are required to offer voice-and-SMS-only Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs) corresponding to bundled plans for each validity period of 30 days or less. The regulations also provide for a monthly renewable voice-and-SMS-only option and at least one such plan with a validity longer than the monthly option.
TRAI’s move follows its earlier 2024 regulations, under which telecom operators were required to offer at least one Special Tariff Voucher exclusively for voice and SMS. The regulator subsequently received representations seeking shorter-duration voice and SMS-only packs.
The new framework is intended to provide greater choice to consumers who primarily use their mobile phones for voice calls and SMS and have limited need for mobile data.
The actual number of recharges required by an individual user will depend on the validity and terms of the plan selected. The new regulations expand the options available to consumers rather than mandating a fixed number of annual recharges.