TRAI New Rules Mandate SIM Validity without Recharge Till This Period….

Many mobile subscribers face the problem of blackout of their SIM card if they forget to recharge it. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued new rules related to the validity of SIM. Under these rules, the mobile connection will not be stopped even if no recharge is done for a few months.

However, the period for which the SIM remains valid if not recharged is also different for different telecom companies. For Reliance Jio subscribers, the period to keep the SIM active without recharge is 90 days. After this there will be a need to recharge. The period of 90 days without recharge for incoming calls can be a month, a week or a few days depending on the previous recharge plan. If a Reliance Jio user does not recharge within a period of 90 days, the same number will be closed for that user and will be re-allocated to some other user.

For Bharti Airtel subscribers, the period to keep the SIM active without recharge is more than 90 days. After this, subscribers will get a period of 15 days to reactivate their number. If they do not recharge even during this time, then that number will be closed for the user and it will be available in the market for new users.

Government telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has offered a period of 180 days to keep the SIM active without recharging. Earlier, TRAI had changed the rules and made it mandatory for telecom companies to provide separate tariff plans for voice calls and SMS. “The service provider shall offer a minimum of one special tariff voucher for voice calls and SMS, the period of validity of which shall not exceed 365 days,” TRAI had said in the amended Telecom Consumers Protection Regulations. This will benefit those users who do not use data. Along with this, TRAI has also allowed telecom companies to provide recharge vouchers of any value. However, telecom companies will have to issue a recharge coupon of at least Rs 10.