TRAI sets ₹20 lakh quarterly complaint-lapse cap per circle

TL;DR: TRAI published amended complaint redressal rules on November 3, 2026 that allow penalties of up to ₹20 lakh per quarter per licensed or authorised service area for telecom operators and internet service providers that fail to properly dispose of consumer complaints or appeals.

TRAI published amended consumer complaint redressal rules on November 3, 2026 that allow penalties of up to ₹20 lakh per quarter per licensed or authorised service area for telecom operators and internet service providers that fail to dispose of consumer complaints or appeals in line with the regulations.

The amended rules require telecom and internet service providers in India to run complaint centres around the clock, with human representatives available for at least 16 hours a day. Providers must tell consumers when they are interacting with an AI agent, keep those systems under human oversight, offer free access to consumer care numbers, and provide complaint filing through websites and mobile apps.

The rules also require providers to acknowledge each complaint or request with a docket number and keep consumers updated until resolution. TRAI reduced the time limit for filing an appeal after complaint disposal from 30 days to 15 days, and added an online feedback survey that must be conducted after a complaint or appeal is resolved or closed, with quarterly survey results published on the provider's website.

TRAI said providers must place a quarterly report on complaint redressal, appeals, and feedback survey results before their CEO or board of directors. The regulator can levy ₹1,000 per complaint-disposal violation and ₹5,000 per instance by the appellate authority, subject to the ₹20 lakh quarterly cap per service area, and can impose up to ₹10 lakh for failure to submit the quarterly performance report.