No more hiding budget packs. Here’s what TRAI’s new mandate means for telcos
Calling out digital dark patterns, TRAI said it received various complaints from consumers regarding the lack of adequate transparency, visibility, and ease of access.
- Oct 1, 2026,
- Updated Oct 1, 2026 3:15 PM IST
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has ordered mobile operators to stop hiding low-cost recharges and display all regulatory-mandated vouchers upfront on their mobile apps and portals.
The directive, issued under Section 13, read with sub-clauses (i) and (v) of clause (b) of sub-section (1) of Section 11 of the TRAI Act, 1997, forces telecom companies to redesign their digital payment interfaces. Operators must now create a dedicated section titled “TRAI-Mandated Packs”. Crucially, the regulator has specified that this section must sit as the very first tab on the prepaid recharge screen across all apps, websites, and exclusive retail stores.
The mandate protects over 200 million mobile subscribers across India, the 'Aam Aadmi' who relies solely on Voice and SMS services and has no need for daily internet bundles. This includes millions of feature-phone owners, senior citizens, and low-income households, for whom finding basic calling plans had become increasingly difficult as app interfaces routinely pushed them toward higher-priced data packages.
Calling out these digital dark patterns, TRAI noted, “Received various complaints from consumers regarding the lack of adequate transparency, visibility and ease of access to the different types of TRAI-mandated vouchers on the websites and mobile applications of the service providers.”
An official review of digital storefronts across major service providers confirmed that operators were actively making it difficult for everyday subscribers to locate budget options.
The regulator observed, “TRAI-mandated vouchers are neither displayed prominently nor are easily accessible, and in some cases, these vouchers are placed under different categories or require consumers to navigate through multiple screens to find them, as a result of which, consumers are facing difficulty in locating and subscribing to the vouchers suitable to their requirements.”
Under existing rules, including the Telecommunication Tariff Order, 1999, and the Telecom Consumers Protection Regulations, 2012, operators are legally bound to offer specific standardised plans. These include flat 30-day validity vouchers, date-to-date same-month renewal packs, and standalone Voice and SMS-only Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs).
Emphasising that clear visibility is necessary to ensure fair choice, TRAI stated in its order, “The purpose of mandating specific vouchers by the Authority is to provide to the consumers appropriate tariff choices to make informed decisions and, therefore, it is important that such vouchers are not only available on the websites and mobile application of the telecom service providers but are also displayed clearly and prominently and are easily accessible.”
30-Day Clock Starts for Mobile Operators
The order impacts the app interface designs of major operators, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and BSNL. By moving standalone calling packs and fixed 30-day options to the front tab, TRAI removes the navigation hurdles that steered consumers toward expensive daily data combos.
The regulator explicitly directed all telecom service providers to “Provide a separate and clearly visible tab or section titled ‘TRAI-Mandated Packs’ containing different types of TRAI-mandated vouchers, which shall be visible as the first tab on the prepaid recharge section on the websites and mobile applications of the service providers and shall also be prominently displayed on their other exclusive points of sale.”
Telecom operators have been given a firm timeline, with TRAI requiring them to submit the compliance report to the Authority in this regard within thirty days of the date of issue of this Direction, that is, October 30.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has ordered mobile operators to stop hiding low-cost recharges and display all regulatory-mandated vouchers upfront on their mobile apps and portals.
The directive, issued under Section 13, read with sub-clauses (i) and (v) of clause (b) of sub-section (1) of Section 11 of the TRAI Act, 1997, forces telecom companies to redesign their digital payment interfaces. Operators must now create a dedicated section titled “TRAI-Mandated Packs”. Crucially, the regulator has specified that this section must sit as the very first tab on the prepaid recharge screen across all apps, websites, and exclusive retail stores.
The mandate protects over 200 million mobile subscribers across India, the 'Aam Aadmi' who relies solely on Voice and SMS services and has no need for daily internet bundles. This includes millions of feature-phone owners, senior citizens, and low-income households, for whom finding basic calling plans had become increasingly difficult as app interfaces routinely pushed them toward higher-priced data packages.
Calling out these digital dark patterns, TRAI noted, “Received various complaints from consumers regarding the lack of adequate transparency, visibility and ease of access to the different types of TRAI-mandated vouchers on the websites and mobile applications of the service providers.”
An official review of digital storefronts across major service providers confirmed that operators were actively making it difficult for everyday subscribers to locate budget options.
The regulator observed, “TRAI-mandated vouchers are neither displayed prominently nor are easily accessible, and in some cases, these vouchers are placed under different categories or require consumers to navigate through multiple screens to find them, as a result of which, consumers are facing difficulty in locating and subscribing to the vouchers suitable to their requirements.”
Under existing rules, including the Telecommunication Tariff Order, 1999, and the Telecom Consumers Protection Regulations, 2012, operators are legally bound to offer specific standardised plans. These include flat 30-day validity vouchers, date-to-date same-month renewal packs, and standalone Voice and SMS-only Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs).
Emphasising that clear visibility is necessary to ensure fair choice, TRAI stated in its order, “The purpose of mandating specific vouchers by the Authority is to provide to the consumers appropriate tariff choices to make informed decisions and, therefore, it is important that such vouchers are not only available on the websites and mobile application of the telecom service providers but are also displayed clearly and prominently and are easily accessible.”
30-Day Clock Starts for Mobile Operators
The order impacts the app interface designs of major operators, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and BSNL. By moving standalone calling packs and fixed 30-day options to the front tab, TRAI removes the navigation hurdles that steered consumers toward expensive daily data combos.
The regulator explicitly directed all telecom service providers to “Provide a separate and clearly visible tab or section titled ‘TRAI-Mandated Packs’ containing different types of TRAI-mandated vouchers, which shall be visible as the first tab on the prepaid recharge section on the websites and mobile applications of the service providers and shall also be prominently displayed on their other exclusive points of sale.”
Telecom operators have been given a firm timeline, with TRAI requiring them to submit the compliance report to the Authority in this regard within thirty days of the date of issue of this Direction, that is, October 30.