TRAI widens telecom complaint channels, cuts consumer appeal deadline to 15 days

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued the Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2026 on 2 November 2026, updating the framework service providers must follow to handle consumer grievances. The amendment followed a May 2026 consultation paper, 32 comments and 24 counter-comments from stakeholders, and a July 2026 open house discussion. The regulations will now apply to internet service providers with more than 10,000 subscribers as of the last day of the preceding financial year; the earlier alternative test of annual turnover exceeding Rs 5 crore has been dropped. Consumers can now file complaints, appeals and service requests through a service provider's mobile application, besides the existing complaint centre, website and web portal.

Complaint-centre support must now run round the clock every day of the week, up from the earlier 16-hour window, through human staff, automated systems, AI agents or a mix, with human assistance guaranteed for at least 16 hours daily. Service providers must also set up dedicated desks or helplines for persons with disabilities. The time limit to file an appeal after a complaint is disposed of has been cut from 30 to 15 days, and the earlier advisory-committee stage for appeals has been scrapped so the appellate authority itself must decide within 15 days. A mandatory post-resolution feedback survey, published every quarter, has also been introduced.