Mumbai, January 21: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has introduced new rules aimed at extending the duration of recharges and helping mobile users reduce expenses with frequent recharge cycles. India's telecom authority's new rules for SIM cards will help users who forgot to recharge their secondary SIM card and let them keep it running for more days.

TRAI rules will be applied to the SIM cards offered by Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, BSNL, and Vodafone Idea. Mobile users can avoid frequent recharges to enjoy the validity benefits for a longer period than before. However, each TSP (Telecom Service Provider) has its own validity rules. JioCoin: Reliance Group Enters Into Cryptocurrency Market by Collaborating With Polygon Labs, Introduces Blockchain-Powered Crypto Tokens, Say Reports.

Jio Validity Rules

Reliance Jio will allow its SIM card holders to keep it active for 90 days after the plan expiration for incoming calls. Once the 90-day period ends, the Jio subscribers must opt for a reactivation plan. During the roughly 3-months,  mobile users can get incoming calls for a month or a week based on their plan. If the Jio SIM user does not wish or fails to recharge, the number will be allocated to someone else.

BSNL Validity Rules

BSNL is a government-owned telecommunication company that offers the highest 180-day activation period once the main recharge plan expires. The BSNL SIM card holders can keep the card active for 6 months without recharge and later opt to continue their services by choosing a plan.

Airtel Validity Rules

Airtel continues offering its subscribers the standard 90 days to keep their SIM cards active. After this roughly three-month period, the users will have to opt for a valid recharge plan to extend their Airtel services. After 90 days, the users will also get a grace period of 15 days to reactivate their mobile number. If they fail to do so, their SIM card will be allocated to someone else.

Vi Validity Rules

Vodafone Idea subscribers can use their cards for 90 days without recharging for any plan. However, if they want to keep their number active for a longer period after the main plan expires, they must recharge with at least INR 49. Narayana Murthy Wants No Debate but Introspection on 70-Hour Work Week Issue, Infosys Co-Founder Now Says No One Can Demand Long Hours at Work.

Besides, users can also extend their SIM card validity for more days if they keep an INR 20 prepaid balance in their number. This amount will be deducted automatically if the mobile users fail to recharge and keep their mobile number active for 30 days. 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 21, 2025 11:24 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).