'Victory for low-budget consumers': Raghav Chadha hails 30-day telecom recharge rules

Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha welcomed telecom companies' new 30-day recharge rules, calling it a victory for the "low-budget consumers". The move aims to give prepaid mobile users greater choice in prepaid recharge. Lauding the new plans, Chadha said that the changes would offer greater flexibility to consumers, especially users who mainly use their phones for voice calls and SMS.

He highlighted the new Telecom (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations of the government and mentioned the introduction of 30-day plans, as it would reduce the need for consumers to make 13 monthly recharges in a year to 12.

Chadha said in a post on social media platform X, “Good news for Prepaid Mobile Users in India. The Govt just introduced Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026; consumers will now have: 30-day recharge plans, reducing the need for 13 monthly recharges to 12 in a year, Voice and SMS-only plans for those who do not need data and more suitable options for low-budget consumers who primarily need basic voice calls.”

"Many of you had shared your concerns with me about limited and inflexible recharge options. I raised this issue in Parliament on 11th March, seeking greater choice and more affordable options for consumers. I am grateful to the Government of India and TRAI for resolving these concerns in the interest of greater consumer choice and convenience," he added.

Consumer-friendly telecom options

Chadha had earlier raised concerns over 28-day "monthly" recharge cycles and called for more consumer-friendly telecom options. Notably, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released the Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, introducing changes to the framework governing Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs) for voice and SMS services.

Earlier, Chadha has frequently raised concerns over 28-day "monthly" recharge cycles and demanded that telecom companies offer more consumer-friendly options. Special Tariff Vouchers are prepaid tariff products which are offered by telecom service providers for specific services and validity periods. Under the new regulations, telecom service providers must offer voice and SMS-only STVs (Special Tariff Vouchers) with validity periods matching those already available for bundled voice, SMS and data STVs, covering both 30-day plans and plans valid for less than 30 days.

These changes aim to give consumers greater flexibility when choosing prepaid plans that suit their individual needs. In particular, users who mainly need voice calling and SMS will now have more options available, without being required to subscribe to bundled data services.