THE ESSENTIALS IN 30 SECONDS

  • TRAI released draft guidelines on responsible AI use in telecom networks and services on October 30, 2026, with written comments due by November 27.
  • Operators would need a board-approved AI policy that sorts systems into high, medium and low risk, requires a designated officer's approval before deployment and keeps an incident database.
  • Critical and high-severity AI incidents would have to be reported to TRAI; the reporting timeframe is not specified in the coverage reviewed.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has opened a consultation on how telecom companies should govern the artificial intelligence they run in their networks and customer services. On October 30, 2026, the regulator published draft "Guidelines on Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Telecommunication Networks and Provision of Telecommunication Services", listed on its consultation page under the Network, Spectrum and Licensing division. Stakeholders have until November 27, 2026 to send written comments.

What operators would have to do

According to Indian Television Dot Com, the draft covers entities licensed under the Telegraph Act, 1885 or authorised under the Telecommunications Act, 2023 that use, or plan to use, AI. Each would adopt an AI policy approved by its board or an equivalent body, review it at least once a year and file it with TRAI within seven working days of it taking effect.

That policy would place every AI system in a high, medium or low risk class, based on factors such as its importance to network operations, its effect on financial and operational outcomes and its potential impact on consumers, as Elets eGov reports. A designated officer would approve each system before it goes live, with approval powers tied to risk level. Operators would also keep an inventory of active, inactive and decommissioned systems, and carry out validation and impact assessments before deployment.

Incidents would be graded as critical, high, moderate or low and logged in a central database. Critical and high incidents would be reported to TRAI in a prescribed format and timeframe, although the reports reviewed do not state the deadline. Each operator would also set up an AI Governance and Safety Committee led by a senior officer, keep all systems under human oversight and give users a way to report AI-related harm.

Suppliers and accountability

The draft makes operators answerable for AI outcomes whether a system is built in-house, bought or outsourced. They would have to run due diligence before acquiring third-party AI, obtain disclosures from suppliers about embedded AI, and write compliance, audit and incident terms into contracts.

Context and open questions

The Tribune, carrying an ANI report, says the proposal follows the India AI Governance Guidelines released in February 2026. The draft is not final: TRAI will review feedback before issuing a framework. Several points remain unclear from the coverage, including incident-reporting deadlines, when the rules would apply and how much compliance would cost smaller operators. The full consultation paper is hosted on TRAI's website; this article relies on its listing and on press summaries.