**Summary: Draft Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulation, 2026**
On April 7, 2026, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), under the Ministry of Communications, released the Draft Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulation, 2026. This amendment builds upon the previous twelfth amendment from 2024, which mandated that telecom service providers offer at least one Special Tariff Voucher (STV) exclusively for Voice and SMS.
**Key Provisions and Mandates**
The draft regulation addresses consumer demand for a wider variety of shorter-duration Voice and SMS-only packs. The primary mandates include:
* **Matching Validity Periods:** For every unique validity period currently offered under STVs that include Voice, SMS, and Data, service providers must now offer a corresponding STV exclusive to Voice and SMS.
* **Proportional Pricing:** These Voice and SMS-only vouchers must be priced with a "largely proportional reduction in tariff" compared to those that include data services.
**Stakeholder Consultation and Timeline**
The draft regulation is available on the official TRAI website (www.trai.gov.in). Stakeholders and the public are invited to submit written comments on the proposal.
* **Submission Deadline:** April 28, 2026.
* **Electronic Submission:** Comments should be sent to Shri Vijay Kumar, Advisor (Financial & Economic Analysis), TRAI, at **fea1-div@trai.gov.in**.
**Contact Information**
For clarifications or additional information, the Advisor (F&EA) can be reached at:
* **Telephone:** 011-20907773
* **Release ID:** 2249824
Key Entities Referenced
Draft Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulation, 2026: The primary draft regulation proposed to mandate that telecom service providers offer exclusive Voice and SMS vouchers for every unique validity period provided for data-inclusive packs.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI): The national regulatory body for the telecommunications sector in India, responsible for drafting and enforcing consumer protection regulations.
Special Tariff Voucher (STV): The specific telecom recharge initiative being regulated to ensure that consumers have access to affordable, shorter-duration packs exclusively for Voice and SMS services.
Telecom Consumer Protection (twelfth Amendment) Regulation, 2024: A previously issued regulation referenced as the baseline that first mandated telecom providers to offer at least one exclusive Voice and SMS voucher.
Shri Vijay Kumar, Advisor (Financial & Economic Analysis): The key official at TRAI designated to receive stakeholder comments and provide clarifications regarding the draft regulation.
Ministry of Communications
TRAI releases Draft Telecom Consumer
Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulation,
2026
Posted On: 07 APR 2026 7:18PM by PIB Delhi
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today released the Draft Telecom Consumer
Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulation, 2026.
TRAI had earlier issued Telecom Consumer Protection (twelfth Amendment) Regulation, 2024 wherein
the Authority mandated that every telecom service provider shall offer at least one Special Tariff Voucher
exclusively for Voice and SMS. Subsequent to this, it is observed that only a few Special Tariff Vouchers
(STVs) are being offered for Voice and SMS.
Thereafter, several representations have been received, expressing a need for shorter-duration Voice and
SMS only packs.
Hence, the Authority considers it necessary to address this issue by mandating that for every unique
validity period offered under Special Tariff Vouchers with Voice, SMS and Data, the service provider shall
also offer a corresponding Special Tariff Voucher exclusively for Voice and SMS. Such Special Tariff
Vouchers shall be priced with largely proportional reduction in tariff.
The Draft Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulation, 2026 has been placed on
TRAI’s website (www.trai.gov.in). Stakeholders are requested to provide their written comments by 28th
April, 2026. Comments may be submitted electronically to Shri Vijay Kumar, Advisor (Financial &
Economic Analysis), TRAI, at fea1-div@trai.gov.in.
For any clarification/information, Advisor (F&EA) may be contacted at Tel No. 011-20907773.
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