Telecom regulator TRAI on Monday amended the tariff rules to provide relief to those who use only talk and SMS facilities on mobile. Under this, mobile service providers have been made mandatory to issue a separate 'plan' for 'voice call' and SMS for customers who do not use the net.

The decision comes at a time when most homes are equipped with in-built Wi-Fi, posing a potential threat to telecom operators' recently gaining ARPUs.

This move aims to offer consumers the flexibility to pay for only the services they need while providing particular benefits to specific groups, especially the elderly and those in rural areas.

The amendment by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India introduces several new consumer protection regulations.

Telecom companies in India have criticised Trai's mandate for voice and SMS-only tariff packs, arguing it could hinder upgrades to 4G and 5G networks and deter 2G users from data services, thereby affecting access to digital initiatives.

TRAI mandates separate Voice & SMS vouchers for consumer flexibility, targeting elderly, rural users, simplifying choices, and enhancing user satisfaction.

Trai has also asked telcos to do away with colour coding of vouchers as it exists in the physical form, in view of the prominence of online recharges.

Trai has mandated that telecom operators provide separate plans for voice and SMS without including data. This decision aims to support feature phone

"...the service provider shall offer at least one Special Tariff Voucher exclusively for Voice and SMS with validity period not exceeding three hundred and sixty-five days," the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said in the Telecom Consumers Protection (Twelfth Amendment) Regulations, 2024.