The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India directed telecom operators and internet service providers to run round-the-clock complaint centres handled by AI agents with mandatory human assistance for at least 16 hours daily.
Under the amended rules, service providers face penalties of up to ₹20 lakh per quarter per service area for improper dispute disposal, alongside charges of ₹1,000 per wrongly disposed complaint and ₹5,000 per appeal.
The regulations take effect 30 days after Gazette publication, with oversight committees and reporting rules applying after 60 days, and 24x7 centres, IVRS and app rules taking effect after 90 days.