Free 3-month recharge from TRAI amid telecom tariff hikes? Here's the truth

Several mobile phone users have received a message that falsely claims they are eligible for a free three-month mobile recharge plan, including 200 GB of high-speed data and unlimited voice calls, following the recent tariff hike by major telecom companies.

The message, which includes a link, states: "Congratulations! Free 3 months recharge, 200 Gb super fast 4G/5G Data with unlimited voice calls. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is offering 3 month free recharge due to recent hike in mobile charge plans."

The government’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) confirmed it was a hoax and urged the public to avoid clicking on suspicious links.

"This message is #Fake. TRAI is not providing any free recharge," PIB posted on X.

The misleading message appears to have emerged in the wake of tariff hikes announced by India’s three main private telecom providers—Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi). In July, these companies implemented hikes ranging from 10% to 25%.

While Reliance Jio increased tariffs by 12-25%, Airtel announced tariff hikes by 11-21%. Vodafone Idea also increased rates by 10-23%. This was the first tariff adjustment since November 2021.

The ministry of communications clarified that telecom pricing decisions are made independently by TRAI, which has kept mobile service tariffs under forbearance for two decades.

"The rates of telecommunication services are decided by market forces, within the regulatory framework notified by the independent regulator ie. TRAI. The Government does not intervene in the free market decisions as the functionality is under the domain of TRAI and tariffs are under forbearance," the ministry said.

The ministry also noted that some telecom providers have heavily invested in the rollout of 5G services, which has improved the country's median mobile speeds and bolstered India’s position in global internet speed rankings.