The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Thursday, 27th January 2022, asked the cellular service providers to provide 30-day prepaid mobile recharge plans for all users. The regulatory body described this decision as consumer-friendly and said the implementation of this rule will allow subscribers of the telecom services to have more options in hand while choosing a tariff plan, and it will also save customers money by reducing the number of recharges that customers do in a year.
The clause also stated that every telecom operator is also required to offer at least one plan voucher, one special tariff voucher and one combo voucher which shall be renewable on the same date of every month.
Telecom operators have been given 60 days from the date of notification of the updated rules to comply with the decision.
The updated guidelines will not necessarily affect the ongoing 28-day validity plans, as the Telcos can oblige with the guidelines by introducing another plan of 30-day validity.
All major Telcos were opposed to the idea, where Vi stated that any changes to the existing plans will create confusion among the customers and will require customer awareness. Jio spoke in favor of the 30-day plan but was opposed to the idea of same date renewal, asserting that the feature is structured for post-paid plans. Airtel in their opposition stated that most of the user base is from low-income groups and any such changes with affect their monthly budget management.
