Under the TRAI New Rules 2025, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has established new guidelines for SIM card validity that would be applicable to major telecom service providers such as BSNL, Airtel, Vodafone Idea (Vi), and Reliance Jio. These changes will provide a great deal of relief to users who often forget to recharge their backup SIM cards, ensuring that they remain functional for longer. This article will discuss the new rules’ key features and how they will affect users in 2025.

TRAI New Rules 2025

TRAI’s new rule 2025 has been implemented to provide greater flexibility and convenience to mobile users by extending the period for which SIM cards remain valid without recharge. Earlier, telecom operators required customers to actively recharge SIM cards on a regular basis. However, the new rules will give consumers more time if they neglect to get a refund, even for a few months.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the new validity periods for major telecom operators in India:

Airtel: 90 Days Validity Without Recharge

Under the TRAI New Rules 2025, Airtel SIM cards will stay active for up to 90 days without any recharge. This means that if you don’t recharge your Airtel number, it will continue to work for three months. However, once the 90-day period is over, users will be given a 15-day grace period to recharge the number. If no recharge is done during this grace period, the number will be deactivated and assigned to a new customer.

Because the law has a three-month window for numbers to remain valid, it gives users more flexibility if they can’t regularly renew their numbers.

Jio: 90 Days Validity, Then Permanent Deactivation

Similar to Airtel, Jio will also offer a 90-day validity period without recharge under the TRAI New Rules 2025. However, after 90 days, if the user doesn’t recharge the SIM, the number will be permanently deactivated and assigned to a new customer. Jio’s approach is a bit stricter than Airtel’s since it doesn’t provide a grace period after the 90 days.

While this rule is aimed at helping users who forget to re-enter their Jio numbers, immediate action should be taken to prevent irregular activity.

Vi (Vodafone Idea): 90 days validity and minimum recharge

Under the New TRAI Rules 2025 for Vi (Vodafone Idea) users, the new rules also state that the SIM card will remain valid for 90 days without recharge.After this period, however, users will need to recharge with at least ₹49 to keep the number active. The number will be deactivated if the user does not recharge within the specified time frame.

This provision provides an affordable way for users to maintain the validity of their number, but it also encourages recharging to keep the number functional. Users can stay connected without incurring significant costs thanks to the ₹49 minimum recharge.

BSNL: Longest Validity with 180 Days Without Recharge

BSNL offers the longest validity period under the TRAI New Rules 2025. Without any recharge, BSNL SIM cards will remain active for up to 180 days (6 months). This length of time is especially useful for users who don’t want frequent charges or don’t need to use their SIM card regularly but still want to enable it

BSNL’s generous validity period makes it a good choice for users who are looking for a long term solution and want to reduce the hassle of recharging every few months.

₹20 Balance and SIM Activation Rule

In addition to the validity periods, the TRAI New Rules 2025 also introduce a rule regarding the balance on the SIM. If a SIM card hasn’t been recharged for 90 days and has a balance of ₹20 or more, the balance will be deducted to keep the number active for an additional 30 days. This gives users a breathing space, allowing them to keep their numbers active even longer if they forget to recharge.

For official updates and detailed guidelines, visit the TRAI website here

However, if there is no money on the SIM, it will be deactivated and returned to the new customer when its capacity expires.

Conclusion: The new TRAI regulations will cause a significant shift for consumers in 2025.

The new TRAI Regulations 2025 give telecom users much-needed respite by allowing SIM card usage even in cases where users forget to reload. The move gives you adequate time to activate your number without worrying about reloads, regardless of whether you are a client of BSNL, Jio, Vi, or Airtel. The new rules aim to provide greater flexibility, giving users more time to manage their connections.

With these new guidelines, you won’t have to constantly worry about your number being deactivated if you forget to recharge for a few months. Whether you choose BSNL’s long 180-day validity or Airtel’s 90-day grace period, the TRAI New Rules 2025 ensure that you can stay connected for a longer time.

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