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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India amends the Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal Regulations, 2012 to modernize grievance redressal mechanisms. The regulations apply to all access and internet service providers, excluding internet service providers with 10,000 or fewer subscribers. Service providers must establish a 24/7 Complaint Centre with human assistance available for at least 16 hours daily. The amendment mandates a standardized complaint architecture across IVRS, web portals, and mobile applications, including specific options for complaints, appeals, and service requests. It introduces a Consumer Grievance Redressal Oversight Committee, mandatory online feedback surveys, and quarterly performance reporting. The Authority establishes a financial disincentive framework for non-compliance with complaint disposal and reporting obligations.
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TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE GAZETTE OF INDIA, EXTRAORDINARY, PART III, SECTION 4 TELECOM REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF INDIA NOTIFICATION New Delhi, the 02ⁿᵈ November, 2026
TELECOM CONSUMERS COMPLAINT REDRESSAL (FOURTH AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 2026 (07 of 2026)
No. C-23/1/(1)/2026-CA---- In exercise of the powers conferred by section 36, read with sub-clauses (i) and (v) of clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 11, of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997 (24 of 1997), the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India hereby makes the following regulations further to amend the Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal Regulations, 2012 (1 of 2012), namely: -
"(3) These regulations shall apply to all service providers providing
- (i) Access service; and
- (ii) Internet service:
Provided that nothing contained in these regulations shall apply to an Internet Service Provider whose total number of subscribers on the last day of the preceding financial year does not exceed ten thousand:
Provided further that an Internet Service Provider covered under the first proviso shall establish a suitable mechanism for redressal of consumer complaints and may voluntarily follow the provisions of these regulations:
Provided also that where, after the publication of the Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, the total number of subscribers of an Internet Service Provider exceeds ten thousand, such Internet Service Provider shall comply with the provisions of these regulations within thirty days from the last day of the month in which its subscriber base exceeds ten thousand, except --
- (i) regulation 11, regulation 14A, regulation 15 and regulation 18, which shall be complied with within sixty days; and
- (ii) sub-regulations (3), (9), (10), (11) and (12) of regulation 3 and regulation 18A, which shall be complied with within ninety days, after the date of publication of these regulations in the Official Gazette.
Explanation. — For the purposes of this proviso, the periods of thirty days, sixty days and ninety days shall be computed from the last day of the month in which the subscriber base of the Internet Service Provider crosses ten thousand.".
"(b) "Access Services" means the telecommunication services provided by a licensee or authorised entity to users for conveyance of voice or non-voice messages through wireline or wireless telecommunication network;";
"(ha) "Complaint Monitoring System" means any World Wide Web-based system using client server architecture or other similar architecture, established under sub-regulation (1) of regulation 6, to register, track or monitor and manage complaints, appeals, service requests and service queries of the consumer;";
"(ja) "Feedback Survey" means online consumer feedback obtained after the resolution or closure of the complaint or appeal;";
"(ka) "Grievance Redressal Mechanism" means the mechanism established by a service provider for redressal of consumer grievances, comprising of Complaint Centre, Complaint Monitoring System and the Appellate Authority;";
(kb) "Internet" is a global system that —
- (i) is logically linked together by a globally unique address, based on internet protocol or its subsequent enhancements or upgradations; and
- (ii) is able to support communications using the transmission control protocol or internet protocol suite or its subsequent enhancements or upgradations, and all other protocols compatible with internet protocol;";
"(l) "Internet Services" means the telecommunication services to access the internet;";
"(m) "Originating Access Provider" or "OAP" means the Access Provider who has provided the telecom resources to a sender of commercial communication as defined in Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulation 2018;";
"(o) "Service Provider" means any entity having a license under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, or an authorization under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, for providing services covered under sub-regulation (3) of regulation 1;";
"(pa) "Service Query" means any query made by the consumer regarding the services provided by the Service Provider;";
"(r) "Terminating Access Provider" or "TAP" means the Access Provider of which a subscriber is the recipient of commercial communication as defined in Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulation 2018;";
"(1) Every service provider shall establish a Complaint Centre for redressal of complaints and for addressing service requests and service queries of its consumers:
Provided that the complaint centre established by the service providers before the commencement of the Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2026 shall continue to be the Complaint Centre for the purpose of these regulations and shall be made compliant with these regulations within the stipulated timelines:
Provided further that a service provider, who is providing different services in a licensed service area, may, at its option, set up one or more Complaint Centres, being common or separate, for such services being provided by it:
Provided also that a Complaint Centre for a service area shall provide the service in at least one of the other official languages of the states in the licensed service area, where applicable, in addition to Hindi and English, as per the option exercised by the consumer:
Provided also that the Complaint Centre shall register appeal, if any, preferred by the consumer through Consumer Care Number or through a separate dedicated number.";
"(3) Every Complaint Centre shall operate round the clock on all days of the week and shall provide efficient consumer assistance through human representatives or automated systems or AI agents or other customer-centric technological solutions, or a combination thereof, round the clock:
Provided that consumer assistance through a human representative shall be made available for a minimum of sixteen hours daily, on all days of the week:
Provided further that consumer shall get a notification that he is communicating with an AI Agent as and when such a situation occurs.
Provided also that automated systems or AI agents or other consumer-centric technological solutions deployed at Complaint Centre shall operate with appropriate human oversight.
Provided also that the Complaint Centre shall register appeals round the clock and shall provide assistance through a human representative for registration of appeals during the hours when human representatives are available at the Complaint Centre.";
"(7) The Consumer Care Number shall not be chargeable to consumers";
"(9) Every service provider shall ensure that automated systems such as IVRS, conversational AI agents or any other consumer-centric technology, if installed on a Consumer Care Number, provides options for—
- (a) Language selection
- (b) selecting the nature of request from among the following;
- (i) 'Complaints',
- (ii) 'Appeals',
- (iii) 'Service Request/Query';
- (c) accessing context-specific sub-menu for each category of complaint, appeal, service request or service queries;
- (d) connecting with a human consumer care representative from within each category referred to in clause (b); and
- (e) availing a call-back facility where the consumer is waiting in a queue to connect with a human consumer care representative.";
"(10) Every service provider shall ensure that a consumer is able to register complaints or appeals and raise service request or service queries through their web portal/ website as well as mobile application, and each of these should provide options for -
- (a) selecting the nature of request from among the following;
- (i) 'Complaint',
- (ii) 'Appeal',
- (iii) 'Service Request or Query'
- (b) accessing a context-specific sub-menu for each category under complaints, appeals, service requests or service queries through automated systems, chatbots, AI agents or other consumer centric technologies;
- (c) entering text or voice note to allow the consumer to share the details of their issue, in case they wish to give additional information;
- (d) receiving regular updates and information regarding the status, actions taken, and projected resolution timelines for their complaints through the application interface, until final resolution, including -
- (i) the initial update regarding the acknowledgement of service request/complaint with docket number;
- (ii) the relevant information regarding expected time for resolution and information about allotment of technician/ service engineer, if required;
- (iii) acknowledgement of delay in case a complaint resolution is likely to exceed the anticipated time, as informed to the consumer under sub-clause (ii), along with reasons for such delay and the estimated timeline for resolution;
- (iv) a confirmation message, once the complaint is closed, with Feedback survey link.
(11) Service Provider may also enable a consumer to register complaints or appeals and raise requests or queries through any other consumer-centric technological solutions (including chatbots, AI agents, messaging platforms such as WhatsApp etc.).
Provided that all such solutions, either already deployed or that may be deployed in future, shall provide the same options provided under sub-regulation (9) and sub-regulation (10).
(12) Every service provider shall, for the purpose of making Information and Communication Technology accessible to Persons with Disabilities (PwD), -
- (a) equip dedicated desks or helplines in their Complaint Centre or Consumer support centres, with personnel or assistive technology capable of receiving calls from PwDs;
- (b) route the calls from PwD category subscribers to such dedicated desk or helpline and ensure that necessary step-by-step assistance is provided to them; and
- (c) ensure that their mobile app and website and portal have accessibility features in accordance with the applicable guidelines or standards on accessibility for Persons with Disabilities issued by the Government of India as amended from time to time.".
"Provided that the General Information number already established by the service providers shall continue to be operational for the purpose of these regulations."
"(a) public notice in a leading newspaper each in Hindi, English and additionally at least one of the other official languages of the state, where applicable, in the licensed service area and such notice shall be given below the regular commercial advertisement of the service provider;";
"display on the website of the service provider, as well as on the mobile application";
"(c) disseminate the Consumer Care Number and other mandatory consumer information to all consumers through SMS broadcast at least once every six months;";
"(4) Every service provider shall prominently display a dedicated section titled "Customer Care" on the home page of their website, containing statistics and details relating to -
- (a) details of Complaint Centre;
- (b) details of Appellate Authority;
- (c) report of consumer feedback surveys as provided under regulation 14A;
- (d) quarterly performance reports as provided under sub-regulation (2) of regulation 15;".
"(1) Every service provider shall—
- (a) establish a Complaint Monitoring System to enable the consumers to monitor the status of their complaints; and
- (b) ensure that consumers receive regular updates and information regarding the status, actions taken, and projected timelines for resolution of their complaints or appeal or service request or service query through the application interface, as well as email and SMS, until final resolution of the complaint, appeal, service request or service query, as the case may be:
Provided that the Complaint Monitoring System already established by the service providers shall continue to be the Complaint Monitoring System for the purpose of these regulations and shall be made compliant with these regulations within the stipulated timelines.";
"(a) immediately upon establishment of the Complaint Monitoring System under sub-regulation (1), ensure that the web address (Uniform Resource Locator) of the Complaint Monitoring System, along with information regarding the procedure for monitoring complaints, is made available to consumers through the channels of dissemination specified under sub-regulation (1) of regulation 5";
"(b) continue to make available such information, at least once in six months, through the dissemination channels of the service provider provided under sub-regulation (1) of regulation 5;";
For regulation 8 of the principal regulations, for sub-regulation (1) and sub-regulation (2), the following sub-regulations shall be substituted, namely: - "(1) Every service provider shall, where a timeframe has been specified under the Standards of Quality of Service of Access (Wireline and Wireless) and Broadband (Wireline and Wireless) Service Regulations, 2024 (06 of 2024), the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018 (06 of 2018) and the Telecom Consumers Protection Regulations, 2012 (02 of 2012) issued by the Authority, ensure redressal of complaints and provisioning of service requests in accordance with such timeframe. (2) In case no timeframe has been specified under the The Standards of Quality of Service of Access (Wireline and Wireless) and Broadband (Wireline and Wireless) Service Regulations, 2024 (06 Of 2024), the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018 (06 of 2018) and the Telecom Consumers Protection Regulations, 2012 (02 of 2012) issued by the Authority, the complaints and service requests shall be addressed within three days.".
In regulation 9 of the principal regulations, --
