TRAI moves telecom interconnect agreements online; new rules start 1 January 2027

Telecom operators will have to register their interconnection agreements online from 1 January 2027, under new rules issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

TRAI released the Register of Interconnect Agreements (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2026. Interconnection is the arrangement that connects two or more telecom networks so that users of different providers can talk to each other.

What changes

• All service providers must register interconnect agreements, and any changes to them, through a TRAI portal. The old requirement to submit printed copies with a soft copy on a floppy disk or diskette is dropped.
• Agreements in force on 1 January 2027 must be submitted within fifteen days of that date; new agreements and changes within fifteen days of being signed or modified.
• Electronic copies must be in text-searchable PDF format.
• Applications to inspect the register, and requests for copies or extracts, can be made through the portal as well as in person.
• The fee for inspecting the register is revised to ₹1,500 an hour or part of an hour, and copies or extracts to ₹500 a page.

How the rules were made

TRAI began a review with a pre-consultation paper on 3 April 2025 and issued a consultation paper on 10 November 2025. Seventeen stakeholders sent comments and nine sent counter-comments. An open house discussion was held on 28 January 2026 before TRAI finalised the amendment.

The Register of Interconnect Agreements Regulations, 1999 remain the base framework. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997 empowers TRAI to maintain the register and make it available for public inspection on payment of a fee.

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Source: official release by the Ministry of Communications, issued through the Press Information Bureau, Government of India (06 NOV 2026 2:22PM by PIB Delhi). Read the full official text: TRAI releases “The Register of Interconnect Agreements (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2026”.