Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) have opposed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) proposal to mandate affordable standalone voice and SMS plans, arguing that such a move would be anti-consumer, technically impractical and inconsistent with the regulator’s policy of tariff forbearance.
The debate emerged during an open-house discussion organised by TRAI on proposed amendments to its consumer protection regulations that would require operators to offer voice and SMS-only plans without bundled data and with shorter validity options.
The telecom operators urged the regulator to maintain the status quo on tariff plans. However, consumer rights groups and non-governmental organisations argued that millions of low-income, rural and elderly users are being compelled to purchase data services they do not use.
Meanwhile, a Jio executive said the proposal is technically incompatible with modern telecom networks, noting that 4G and 5G networks are fully internet protocol (IP)-based and voice services operate as applications over data networks. The company also warned that inexpensive, short-validity voice and SMS plans could lower barriers for fraudsters and potentially increase spam communications and cyber fraud.
Jio further stated that 88 per cent of its entry-level subscribers actively use data services and that existing voice-only plans have witnessed limited demand.
Further, Vi argued that excluding data from plans could expose customers to unexpected charges, as background data consumption from software updates, app functions and one time passwords based services could result in unanticipated pay-as-you-go billing.
Airtel said India’s digital public infrastructure strategy is fundamentally mobile-data driven and that encouraging voice-only plans could create a segment of users excluded from the broader digital ecosystem.
Consumer groups rejected these arguments, pointing out that in several tribal, remote and hilly regions, telecom towers often fail to provide reliable data connectivity, yet users are still required to purchase data bundles. They also contended that entry-level plans impose disproportionately high data costs, with consumers paying around Rs 94-99 per GB compared with significantly lower per-GB rates available under premium plans.
