The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has notified the Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, the first major update to the framework since 2014. Complaint centres must now operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Support may be delivered by human representatives, automated systems, AI agents or a combination of these. Human assistance remains mandatory for at least 16 hours daily, and technology-based solutions must function under appropriate human oversight. Consumers must be informed whenever they are interacting with an AI agent or chatbot. Operators face financial penalties of ₹1,000 for each wrongly disposed complaint and ₹5,000 for each wrongly disposed appeal, capped at ₹20 lakh per quarter per service area. Appeal timelines have been shortened to 15 days. The changes aim to improve accessibility while giving operators flexibility to use AI for after-hours coverage.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has notified the Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, the first major update to the framework since 2014. Complaint centres must now operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Support may be delivered by human representatives, automated systems, AI agents or a combination of these. Human assistance remains mandatory for at least 16 hours daily, and technology-based solutions must function under appropriate human oversight. Consumers must be informed whenever they are interacting with an AI agent or chatbot. Operators face financial penalties of ₹1,000 for each wrongly disposed complaint and ₹5,000 for each wrongly disposed appeal, capped at ₹20 lakh per quarter per service area. Appeal timelines have been shortened to 15 days. The changes aim to improve accessibility while giving operators flexibility to use AI for after-hours coverage.