TRAI Notifies Register of Interconnect Agreements (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, Effective from 1 January 2027

Key facts

• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released 'The Register of Interconnect Agreements (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2026' on 06 November 2026, and the regulations will take effect from 1 January 2027.
• The amendment mandates online registration of interconnect agreements and modifications through a TRAI portal, dispensing with printed copies and floppy/diskette submissions; agreements in force on 1 January 2027 must be submitted within fifteen days, and new agreements or modifications within fifteen days of execution.
• Service providers must furnish text-searchable PDF copies of interconnect agreements, and applications for inspection of the Register and obtaining copies or extracts can now be made online through the portal.
• The fee for inspection of the Register has been revised to ₹1,500 per hour or part thereof, and the charge for copies or extracts to ₹500 per page, broadly aligned with the TRAI (Access to Information) Regulation, 2005.
• A graded financial disincentive framework has been prescribed for contravention of the regulations, and TRAI may specify formats for time-bound furnishing of disaggregated information for inclusion in the Register.
• The review process began with a Pre-Consultation Paper dated 03.04.2025, followed by a Consultation Paper dated 10.11.2025; seventeen stakeholders submitted comments, nine submitted counter-comments, and an Open House Discussion was held on 28.01.2026.
• The Register of Interconnect Agreements Regulations, 1999 provide the regulatory framework for registration and maintenance of interconnect agreements, under powers in sub-sections (vii) and (viii) of section 11(1)(b) of the TRAI Act, 1997.