The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has directed telecom operators and internet service providers (ISPs) to run round-the-clock complaint centres that can be handled by AI agents, while mandating human assistance for at least 16 hours a day. It has also introduced penalties of up to ₹ 20 lakh per quarter per service area for improper disposal or handling of consumer disputes, under amended telecom consumer complaint redressal rules released on Monday.
For the first time, the telecom regulator has included AI-based customer care services in a binding rule under the Telecom Consumer Complaint Redressal (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2026. The rules, amended after more than a decade, were last revised on July 1, 2014.
The telecom regulator has also scrapped the advisory committees and replaced them with oversight committees in every service provider to oversee and periodically review the functioning of its grievance redressal mechanism.
Consumer groups, who sent 22 of the 32 comments on the draft, opposed the move, with one saying it makes the system “operator reviewing operator”.
Some stakeholders have also questioned whether TRAI can impose penalties through regulations. The penalties under the current rule are new, however the regulator has been imposing financial disincentives under the Standards of Quality of Service of Access (Wireline and Wireless) and Broadband (Wireline and Wireless) Service Regulations, 2024.
This was also a concern for some stakeholders who said this may result in double penalties on telecom service providers. But TRAI said the two serve “distinct regulatory objectives”.
