Jio, Airtel to roll out Rs 10 recharge plans following TRAI's order

TRAI's New Rules

Private telecom companies like Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, along with the government-owned BSNL, provide telecom services in India. These companies offer various recharge plans at different prices, competing to attract customers.

Currently, these companies offer combo packs including calls, SMS, and data. There are no separate plans for calls and SMS.

This forces customers who don't need data to subscribe to combo plans, which are more expensive.

Rs. 10 Recharge Plans

Customers have long requested separate plans for calls and SMS. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) addressed this, ordering Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea to introduce a unique recharge plan for voice calls and SMS last month.

This compels these companies to offer affordable recharge plans. Under the new rules, all telecom companies, including Airtel, Jio, BSNL, and Vodafone Idea, must introduce top-up vouchers starting at Rs. 10.

Special Tariff Vouchers

TRAI also announced another important change: increasing the validity of special tariff vouchers from 90 days to 365 days. This will lead to plans with one-year validity at Rs. 10. This move helps customers access affordable, long-term recharge options.

Over 150 million Indian smartphone users, currently using 2G services, will benefit from TRAI's new guidelines issued last month. Separate plans for calls and SMS will significantly reduce costs.

Similarly, customers have also requested low-cost recharge plans specifically for data.

When will it be implemented?

Reports indicate that telecom companies have been given two weeks to comply with TRAI's new rules. There's no official information on when these plans will launch.

However, it's expected that by the end of January, telecom companies will introduce affordable, separate recharge plans for calls and SMS.