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TRAI Responds to Tariff Hike Buzz: Cannot Act on Guesswork
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CNBC TV18•06-10-2026, 10:26
TRAI Responds to Tariff Hike Buzz: Cannot Act on Guesswork
- •TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti stated that the regulator cannot act on guesswork regarding reports of a potential 10-15 percent telecom tariff hike.
- •Lahoti noted that tariffs are currently under a forbearance regime, meaning operators decide their prices based on competitive market forces.
- •TRAI will intervene in tariff matters only when there is a clear necessity to do so.
- •Operators must comply with the mandate to offer voice- and SMS-only plans to give consumers choices, especially feature-phone and elderly users.
- •Telcos are not required to withdraw existing bundled data plans, but must provide standalone non-data recharge options alongside them.
Key Questions Answered
TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti stated that the regulatory authority cannot act on guesswork regarding a potential tariff hike. He noted that tariffs currently fall under a forbearance regime, meaning operators decide their own prices based on market competition.
According to TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti, telecom tariffs in India are considered to be "probably the lowest in the world" due to the high level of competition in the sector.
TRAI mandates that operators must provide consumers with the choice to subscribe to voice- and SMS-only plans without data. This regulation is specifically aimed at feature-phone users and elderly subscribers who do not consume mobile data.
