New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Tuesday raised concerns in Parliament regarding policies affecting prepaid mobile users in India, questioning telecom operators over the suspension of incoming calls once recharge validity expires.
Speaking in the Upper House, Chadha pointed out that India has around 125 crore mobile users, of which nearly 90 percent use prepaid connections. He said a major issue faced by these users is that both outgoing and incoming calls stop once the recharge validity ends.
The MP argued that while stopping outgoing calls after recharge expiry may be understandable, blocking incoming calls is unfair because mobile numbers have become an essential part of a person’s digital identity. He noted that services such as UPI payments, banking OTPs, railway ticket confirmations, Aadhaar authentication, job interviews and emergency family calls depend heavily on incoming calls and SMS.
Chadha demanded that incoming calls and SMS services for prepaid users should continue for at least one year from the date of the last recharge so that essential communication is not disrupted. He also suggested that mobile numbers should not be deactivated or reassigned for at least three years after the last recharge to prevent loss of digital identity.
Additionally, he proposed that telecom companies introduce a low-cost “incoming-only” recharge plan for users who keep their phones primarily to receive calls. As an example, he suggested a plan costing around ₹10 that could provide incoming call access for up to 180 days.
Chadha also criticised the 28-day recharge cycle used by telecom companies, stating that it effectively forces customers to recharge 13 times in a year instead of the standard 12 monthly cycles. He said most financial obligations such as rent, salaries, EMIs and utility bills follow a 30- or 31-day calendar month system, and telecom billing should follow the same principle.
The MP expressed hope that regulatory authorities would examine these issues and introduce consumer-friendly reforms to protect the interests of millions of prepaid mobile users across the country.
