TRAI orders Airtel, Jio and Vi voice-SMS tariffs by 21 October 2026
TL;DR: TRAI has ordered Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea to offer voice-and-SMS-only tariffs in India from 21 October 2026. The mandate requires short-validity Special Tariff Vouchers of up to 30 days and at least one longer-validity voice-and-SMS-only plan.
TRAI has ordered Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea to make voice-and-SMS-only tariffs available in India from 21 October 2026. The regulator said the plans are intended for low-income users who need short-term calling and messaging options without bundled data services.
Under the mandate, operators must offer Special Tariff Vouchers for voice and SMS with validity periods of up to 30 days and a monthly renewal option. Operators must also offer at least one longer-validity plan that includes only voice and SMS.
TRAI previously required all operators in December 2024 to offer at least one voice-and-SMS-only Special Tariff Voucher. The regulator said that move led to limited validity options and prices that did not fall in line with the removal of data, so the new order requires parity across validity periods.
Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea opposed the mandate. Jio said voice now runs as an application on an underlying data network, making voice-only plans technically infeasible, and said 88% of its subscribers are active data users. TRAI proceeded with the order, saying users who do not need data should have plans with the same validity periods as data tariffs but proportionally lower prices.
Relevant questions
When must Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea launch the new voice-and-SMS-only tariffs?
TRAI ordered the new voice-and-SMS-only tariffs to be available from 21 October 2026. The requirement applies to Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea in India.
What does TRAI require in the new data-free tariff mandate?
TRAI requires operators to offer voice-and-SMS Special Tariff Vouchers with validity of up to 30 days and monthly renewal. It also requires at least one longer-validity plan that includes only voice and SMS.
Why did TRAI issue a new order on voice-and-SMS-only plans?
TRAI said its December 2024 requirement did not produce enough plan availability or lower prices after data was removed. The new order is intended to align validity periods with data tariffs while allowing proportionally lower prices for users who do not need data.
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