Parliament Question: Availability of Low-Cost One-Month Voice-Only Mobile Recharge Plans

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3029 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11TH MARCH, 2026 AVAILABILITY OF LOW-COST ONE-MONTH VOICE-ONLY MOBILE RECHARGE PLANS 3029. SHRI KODIKUNNIL SURESH: Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware of concerns regarding the limited availability of low-cost, one-month validity voice-only recharge plans without bundled data services and if so, the details thereof; (b) whether the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) or TRAI has issued any advisory, guideline, or direction to mobile service providers to ensure availability of affordable one-month call-only recharge options for consumers who do not require data services and if so, the details thereof; (c) the service provider-wise details of currently available one-month validity voice-only recharge plans (without data benefits), including tariff amount, validity period and call/SMS benefits in the country; (d) whether the Government has received complaints regarding forced bundling of data services with voice plans leading to higher tariffs and if so, the action taken thereon; and (e) the steps proposed to protect consumer choice, senior citizens and low-income subscribers by ensuring affordable standalone voice recharge options across all telecom service providers? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR) (a), (b), (c) & (e) As per the provisions of TRAI Act 1997, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI), an independent regulatory body for telecommunication services, regulates the rates of telecommunication services in the country. As per the existing regulatory tariff framework, tariff for telecommunication service is under forbearance except for services such as National Roaming, Rural Fixed Line Services, mobile number portability charges, leased circuits and USSD. Further, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has notified the Telecom consumer Protection (12th Amendment) Regulation 2024 on 23.12.2024 which mandates the following: "Provided also that 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." 1In compliance of the Regulation, All the Telecom Service Providers are offering voice and SMS only packs in their respective LSAs. Subject to compliance with extent regulatory provisions, service providers are free to design and offer tariffs based on their understanding of the market situation and in their best commercial interest. Service providers have the flexibility to decide various tariff components like the rates for different types of calls, SMS, data offers etc. with multiple combinations including charges value and validity for different services areas of their operation. Tariffs are offered by service providers taking into account several factors including input costs, level of competition and her commercial considerations. (d) As per the Data available on CPGRAMS portal, 20 grievances have been received till February 2026 regarding forced bundling of data services with voice plans. These grievances were forwarded to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the concerned Telecom Service Providers(TSPs) for appropriate action and conclusive redressal. The grievances have since been disposed of based on the replies received from the TRAI/concerned TSPs. ***** 2