TRAI Takes Action Against Reliance Jio for Tariff Transparency Issues, Sets Deadline for Compliance

Mumbai, April 7: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a directive to Reliance Jio, the largest telecom operator in the country, to cease certain tariff practices deemed opaque and discriminatory. The regulator has set a compliance deadline of April 14, as reported by multiple media outlets, including Mint and Business Standard on April 4, 2026.

Reliance Jio, which boasts over 500 million subscribers, has defended its pricing structure, asserting that its plans comply with regulatory guidelines and are based on “intelligible criteria.” The company maintains that its offerings should not be classified as discriminatory.

Key Directives Issued to Reliance Jio

TRAI has outlined two primary directives for the operator. First, Jio is required to make all tariff plans—including special tariff vouchers (STVs) priced at Rs 249, Rs 199, and Rs 209—accessible across all customer touchpoints, such as retail outlets, customer care centers, its website, and mobile app. Second, the company must revise its device-specific tariff plans, which are currently limited to JioBharat and JioPhone users, to include all other devices as well.

JioBharat and JioPhone are budget-friendly 4G feature phones from Reliance Jio, accompanied by unique recharge plans.

Probe Triggered by Limited Access Plans

This directive follows an investigation launched in August 2025, after Jio discontinued certain entry-level prepaid plans that provided 1 GB of daily data, available only through its own retail stores. The inquiry revealed that some STVs priced at Rs 249 and Rs 199 were restricted to Jio Stores, while a Rs 209 STV was exclusively available via the MyJio app, raising concerns about selective availability.

Device-Specific Tariffs Under Scrutiny

TRAI has also criticized the company’s device-specific tariffs for JioBharat and JioPhone, labeling them a “violation of the principle of non-discrimination.” The regulator emphasized that limiting tariff benefits to specific devices restricts consumer choice and effectively ties users to particular offerings, undermining mobile number portability.

In its communication to Jio, TRAI noted that the failure to offer special tariff plans across all platforms violates transparency requirements established in earlier directives issued on September 18, 2020, which mandate operators to publish tariff plans on all platforms for user access.

According to TRAI’s letter, Jio informed the regulator in November that the 2020 directives were “strictly on tariff publication and not on how and where the tariffs should be sold,” as highlighted in reports.

Regarding JioBharat tariff plans, Jio stated that these plans are not available to other Jio users with different devices, asserting that this distinction is not “arbitrary” but based on “intelligible” criteria.

TRAI rejected Jio’s arguments, asserting that limited access to specific plans forces consumers to navigate various channels for different plans, contrary to the principles outlined in the Telecommunication Tariff Order, 1999. The regulator also dismissed the company’s justification concerning first-time recharge limitations, indicating that such constraints apply solely to initial SIM acquisition.

Furthermore, TRAI observed that device-specific tariffs are inadequately reported in the operator’s monthly submissions and deemed such offerings detrimental to consumers. It added that restricting plans to specific devices could effectively lock users into a network for the device’s lifespan, reducing flexibility.

Regulatory Risks and Potential Penalties

Under the TRAI Act of 1997, failure to comply with regulatory directives can result in penalties of up to Rs 1 lakh for the first offense and Rs 2 lakh for subsequent violations. Continued non-compliance may lead to additional fines.