TRAI voice-and-SMS tariff rules take effect on October 21, 2026

TL;DR: TRAI released the Draft Telecom Consumer Protections (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulation 2026 on September 23, 2026, with rules effective from October 21, 2026 that require Indian operators to offer voice-and-SMS-only tariff vouchers at proportionately lower prices across existing validity periods. Morgan Stanley said the change could increase churn among entry-level subscribers or lead to broader tariff hikes, while estimating less than 1% wireless revenue dilution if 25-30% of the affected cohort moves to plans priced 15-20% lower.

TRAI released the Draft Telecom Consumer Protections (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulation 2026 on September 23, 2026. The rules will take effect on October 21, 2026 and require operators in India to offer voice-and-SMS-only special tariff vouchers across validity periods where bundled voice, SMS, and data vouchers already exist, with proportionately lower pricing. Operators must also offer a voice-and-SMS-only plan that renews on the same date every month and at least one voice-and-SMS-only option with longer validity.

Morgan Stanley said migration by entry-level subscribers to voice-and-SMS-only plans could cause slight ARPU and revenue dilution. The brokerage said that if 25-30% of this subscriber cohort shifts to plans priced 15-20% lower, the impact would still be less than 1% revenue dilution for the wireless business. It also said operators could respond with broader tariff hikes, including on entry-level plans with some data benefits, to keep floor pricing unchanged while removing data from some offers.

Morgan Stanley said the rules should have limited impact on higher-data users, citing a ₹349 plan with a daily 1.5GB allowance. It said the main impact could fall on entry-level plans around ₹199, including a 28-day plan with unlimited calling, 100 SMS per day, and 2GB cumulative data.

Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea opposed the voice-and-SMS-only voucher requirement during TRAI's consultation process. Jio said standalone voice plans are technically incompatible with modern 4G and 5G networks and could lower the cost barrier for scammers, increasing unsolicited commercial communications and fraud. Jio also said 80% of its entry-level users consume data. Vodafone Idea said removing data could trigger unexpected pay-as-you-go charges from background usage, while Airtel said voice-only packs could create a data-excluded segment as India's digital public infrastructure becomes more mobile-first.