Telecom Companies Warned Of Financial Penalties Under New Complaint Rules

Telecom companies could face financial disincentives for mishandling consumer complaints and delaying performance reports, under new rules issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

The Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, aim to strengthen consumer protection through faster complaint resolution, round-the-clock customer support and greater accountability of service providers.

Under the new rules, complaint centres will provide support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, replacing the existing 16-hour arrangement. Human assistance must be available for at least 16 hours daily, while AI agents and automated systems can be used with appropriate human oversight.

TRAI said the changes would provide consumers with greater convenience while giving service providers flexibility in managing complaint centres.

Consumers will also be able to register complaints, file appeals, raise service requests and make service-related queries through their telecom provider's mobile application, in addition to existing channels such as websites, portals and complaint centres.

The deadline for filing an appeal against the disposal of a complaint has been reduced from 30 days to 15 days.

The Appellate Authority will have to examine the appeal, take appropriate action for resolution of the grievance and communicate its final decision "within 15 days of receipt of the appeal".

The amendment also makes it mandatory for service providers to equip their complaint centres or consumer support centres with dedicated desks or helplines for persons with disabilities.

Their mobile applications, websites and portals must have accessibility features in accordance with government guidelines.

To improve accountability, service providers will have to conduct online feedback surveys after complaints and appeals are resolved. The survey will assess consumer satisfaction on a five-point scale, ranging from "Fully Satisfied" to "Totally Dissatisfied".

The results of these surveys must be published on company websites quarterly.

Service providers will also have to place quarterly reports on complaint and appeal redressal, along with feedback survey results, before their CEO or Board of Directors.

TRAI has introduced a Consumer Grievance Redressal Oversight Committee, which will periodically review the functioning of each service provider's grievance redressal mechanism.

The regulator may also conduct audits and inspections of company records, analyse quarterly performance reports and review consumer feedback.

The amendment provides for financial disincentives in cases where complaints or appeals are disposed of in violation of the regulations.

Financial disincentives may also be imposed for "non-submission/delayed submission of the Quarterly Performance Report".

The amended rules apply to Internet Service Providers with more than 10,000 subscribers at the end of the preceding financial year. The earlier alternative criterion based on annual financial turnover exceeding Rs 5 crore has been removed.

TRAI said the amendments would strengthen consumer grievance redressal through "enhanced digital access available to consumers, round-the-clock Complaint Centre support, improved accessibility for Persons with Disabilities and faster filing and disposal of complaints and appeals".