India's telecom regulator TRAI on Monday issued the Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, ordering telecom and internet providers to run their complaint centres round the clock, seven days a week, instead of the existing 16-hour arrangement.
Source: PIB (Press Information Bureau)
Support outside those hours may be given by automated systems or AI agents, but human assistance must remain available for at least 16 hours a day and technology-based help must work under human oversight, TRAI said in the release issued by PIB Delhi.
Source: PIB (Press Information Bureau)
Consumers will now also be able to file complaints and appeals, raise service requests and make queries through their provider's mobile app, in addition to the complaint centre, website and web portal. Providers must run dedicated desks or helplines for persons with disabilities, and their apps, websites and portals must carry accessibility features.
The appeal window has been cut from 30 days to 15 days after a complaint is disposed of. The provider's appellate authority — now required to be regular management employees with at least five years' experience — must decide the appeal and communicate its decision within 15 days. The older advisory-committee route for appeals has been dropped.
Wrongly handling a complaint will now cost money. The Hindu BusinessLine reported that providers face a financial disincentive of ₹1,000 for every improperly disposed complaint and ₹5,000 for every such appeal, capped at ₹20 lakh per quarter for each service area.
Source: The Hindu BusinessLine
After every complaint or appeal is closed, providers must run an online feedback survey on a five-point scale, from 'Fully Satisfied' to 'Totally Dissatisfied', and publish the results on their website every quarter. A quarterly redressal report must also go before the company's CEO or board, and each provider must set up a Consumer Grievance Redressal Oversight Committee with consumer-organisation representatives, meeting at least once a year.
TRAI can review providers through audits, inspections and analysis of quarterly performance reports, and financial disincentives also apply for late or missing reports. The amended rules apply to internet service providers with more than 10,000 subscribers; the earlier alternative test of ₹5 crore annual turnover has been removed. The amendment follows a consultation paper issued on 7 May 2026, which drew 32 comments and 24 counter-comments, and an open house discussion on 17 July 2026.
Source: Informist Media