NEW DELHI: India’s telecom regulator Trai wants mobile phone users to have a more efficient and consumer-centric process of filing and tracking complaints.
On Thursday, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) issued a draft amendment to the consumer complaint redressal rules, that were last amended nearly a decade ago.
It has proposed penalties going up to ₹50 lakh per quarter per service area on telecom service providers (telcos) for failure to comply with the amended rules or if deficiencies in dealing with complaints or appeals are found during reviews or audits.
Trai would levy penalties of ₹1,000 per improper dismissal of a complaint and ₹5,000 per appeal on service providers, which would be capped at ₹50 lakh per quarter per service area or circle.
Service providers will be liable to submit quarterly performance reports on the number of complaints and redressals disposed. Failing to submit these reports would attract a financial disincentive of up to ₹Rs 5,000 per report daily for the first 15 days, and ₹20,000 per report per day subsequently. This penalty has been capped at ₹10 lakh per instance.
Trai has also proposed interest on penalties at 2 per cent more than the MCLR payable on the outstanding penalty and applicable if the service provider does not pay up within 21 days.
The review of existing grievance redressal mechanisms follows a rise in customer complaints as well as change in the ways consumers flag grievances or file complaints, such as mobile apps, chat bots and emails versus calls or Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS).
Trai said despite the mechanism that was first introduced in 2012, and amended twice subsequently, the number of complaints has only risen. In 2025-26 (FY26), 73,081 complaints were registered, far higher than 55,978 in FY25 and 44,733 in FY24. “An analysis of these complaints from consumers revealed a dissatisfaction and anguish against the existing grievance redressal mechanism established by service providers,” the regulator said.
Trai has flagged the absence of procedural standardisation of the grievance redressal mechanism across service providers, leading to inconsistent customer experience, meriting the review.
Among several proposed regulations, Trai has said that service providers will be subject to online or manual periodic regulatory reviews or audits. The layer of the advisory committee has been proposed to be removed on grounds that the tier was making the appellate process ineffective. Service centers have been proposed to be made active 24/7 versus between 8 am to midnight as it is now.
Data of complaints would have to be kept for six months instead of three, while data on the way a complaint or appeal was handled and addressed would have to be kept for a year for audit or review.
Consumers can file an appeal with the appellate authority (AA) within 15 days instead of 30 days after getting an unsatisfactory response or no response to a complaint. The authority will have 15 days to resolve the appeal, the proposed guidelines suggest.
Appellate authority appointed by a service provider would have to be a senior employee with five years of experience. It would have to present a quarterly report on complaints and appeals to the board or CEO to enhance accountability. Trai has also proposed to remove the advisory committee layers, since it was not leading to faster resolution.
Trai has proposed that digital channels such as apps, portals, chatbots and AI tools must show status updates, delays alerts and features like dedicated desks. Web-based systems for tracking should be set up by the carriers along with a “Consumer Corner” on their websites with stats.
The rules would apply to providers with licenses or authorisations for access either wireline or wireless, and internet services under the Telecommunications Act of 2023. Internet service providers with less than 10,000 subscribers can opt in voluntarily, Trai has proposed.
Source: Business Standard
