Telcos need to refund overcharged amount to users in three months

Telecom operators will have to refund any excess amount to consumers in case it is proved by an auditor that they have been overcharged. The telcos need to refund the amount within 3 months of the receipt of the audit observation, the sector regulator said.

The measures are part of quality of service (code of practice for metering and billing accuracy) regulations, 2023, notified by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on September 11. As per the rules, every telco should get its metering and billings systems audited once a year and submit an action taken report to the authority.

Failure to submit the report entails a financial disincentive that can be as high as ₹50 lakh per report.


The telecom firms must get their accounts audited by a panel of auditors notified by Trai.

Besides, every telco shall submit to the authority by April 15 every year its annual schedule of audit, containing the details of billing systems and licensed service areas (LSAs) to be audited.

If the auditor observes an instance of overcharging during the audit, it shall be brought to the notice of the service provider in writing immediately, but not later than one week of such observation.