Telcos must give 24×7 consumer support: Trai

TRAI mandates 24×7 consumer support from telecom companies, halves appeal filing deadline to 15 days and imposes fines of up to Rs 20 lakh for non-compliance

NEW DELHI: Telecom companies will now have to provide 24×7 consumer support through complaint centres, instead of their existing 16-hour arrangement. Those failing to comply with the new rules will face steep fines of upto Rs 20 lakh.The time limit for filing an appeal following disposal of a complaint has also been halved from 30 days to 15. Consumers will now be able to file appeals through the service provider’s mobile app or portal in addition to the existing channels of email, post, in person to ensure faster resolution of appeal. The appellate authority will have to decide an appeal within 15 days of receiving the same.The new rules come in force with Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) Monday issuing ‘Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal (4th Amendment) Regulations, 2026’ applicable to internet service providers having more than 10,000 subscribers. TNN