TRAI orders cheap voice and SMS only recharge plans from October 21

There is relief for people who do not need internet on their phones but are still forced to buy expensive data recharges. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has taken note of the difficulties faced by lakhs of feature phone users, elderly people and residents of rural areas. TRAI has issued a strict order to all telecom companies, including Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea (Vi).

According to the order, from October 21 all companies will be required to offer plans that include only voice calling and SMS. These plans will be completely free of data, so that customers do not have to pay unnecessary internet charges.

TRAI has kept customer convenience in mind while framing this new rule. Companies have been directed to offer voice and SMS plans with the same validity as their normal data plans of 30 days or less. In addition, they will also have to offer at least one non-data plan with longer validity. The best part is that these plans will renew on the same date every month.

This means if a customer recharges on the 10th of a month, the plan will expire on the 10th of the next month. If that date does not fall in a particular month, such as the 31st, the plan will renew on the last day of that month.

The biggest question now is how much this scheme will affect customers' pockets. TRAI has not given telecom companies a fixed formula, but has clearly said that rates should be reduced appropriately after removing data. The regulator has suggested that companies fix rates based on their average revenue per user (ARPU) per GB.

According to TRAI data, telecom companies were earning an average of 9.11 per GB of data in March 2025, which fell to 7.51 by March 2026. During the same period, people's average total bill rose from 183 to 196.04, because people are now using more data than before.

This rule has not come suddenly, and has a history behind it. In December 2024, TRAI had asked companies to bring at least one special voucher with 365 days validity that included only calling. The aim was to help those who do not need data. But companies largely ignored this rule. They did introduce such plans, but kept their validity at either 80 to 84 days or the full 365 days.

Shorter duration plans were not available in the market at all. Besides, despite removing data, prices did not fall significantly. It was only after public protest and complaints that companies made small cuts in prices.