Jio, Airtel, Vi Reject TRAI’s Push For Cheaper Data-Free Voice And SMS Plans

India’s top telecom operators are pushing back hard against a regulatory plan meant to give mobile users cheaper, no-frills options. Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea have strongly objected to TRAI’s proposal that would require cheap, data-free plans offering only voice calls and SMS across every validity period. TRAI wants telcos to compulsorily offer these voice-and-SMS-only plans at every existing validity slab, 14, 28, and 56 days, and to cut their prices significantly. The regulator has expressed anger that companies previously rolled out similar plans but confined them only to long-term 84-day or 365-day options, without actually lowering prices, which TRAI says amounted to misleading customers.

Telcos Want The Status Quo
At an open-house discussion held on June 15, the three private operators argued that TRAI’s proposal works against consumers and pushed for the status quo to continue. State-run BSNL was the only telecom operator that did not join them in opposing the plan.

Why Operators Say It Can’t Be Done
The operators have laid out their own technical and security objections to implementing these plans. Jio said that 4G and 5G networks run entirely on Internet Protocol (IP), making it technically impossible to separate voice services from the data network. Telcos also warned that pricing voice-and-SMS plans too low would make it easy for cybercriminals to buy SIM cards cheaply and use them for spam calls and online fraud. Separately, the companies pointed out that without a data pack, background app updates and OTPs could push customers into unexpected “pay-as-you-go” charges they never intended to rack up, since data could get consumed without their knowledge.