India's TRAI Publishes Draft Rules Requiring AI Governance in Telecom Networks
The consultation paper, issued October 30 with stakeholder comments open until November 27, would require operators to maintain board-approved AI policies, governance committees, risk classification of AI systems and an incident database.
India's Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI) has released draft guidelines on the responsible use of AI in telecom, issued as a consultation paper on October 30 with comments from stakeholders open until November 27, 2026. The draft requires telecom service providers to maintain an internal AI policy approved by their boards, establish AI governance and safety committees at the corporate level, classify all AI systems into high, medium and low risk categories, and maintain a database of AI incidents — with serious incidents reported to the regulator. Responsibility for AI systems would remain with the operator even when the technology is procured from third-party vendors, and the framework aligns with India's AI Governance Guidelines issued in February 2026.
If the pattern holds, telecom regulators in other markets are likely to follow: Indonesia's communications ministry and BRTI have historically tracked regional regulatory precedent, and Indonesian operators already rank among the world's heaviest AI users by consumer adoption. For any vendor supplying AI systems into telecom networks, the direction is unambiguous — risk documentation, audit trails and incident reporting are moving from good practice to procurement prerequisite.