India's Telecom Regulatory Authority Releases Draft AI Governance Guidelines

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 30, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released the draft "Guidelines for Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in Telecom Networks and Telecom Services," which aims to establish unified governance requirements for the application of AI systems in telecom network operations, communication services, and related businesses. The draft covers AI risk classification, system deployment approval, security incident reporting, data management, and user protection, among other things. It solicits comments from enterprises holding relevant telecom licenses or authorizations, with a deadline of November 27.

According to the draft, the applicable entities include telecom service and network operating enterprises that have obtained relevant licenses under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 or the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and that have used or plan to use AI systems. Relevant enterprises are proposed to establish internal AI policies approved by their boards of directors or equivalent governing bodies, classify the AI systems they use into three levels—high risk, medium risk, and low risk—and determine corresponding approval and oversight measures based on the degree of risk.

At the system deployment stage, the draft proposes that telecom enterprises establish an inventory of AI systems and conduct verification, risk assessment, and necessary conformity checks on systems to be put into use. For AI equipment, software, or network solutions procured from third parties, operating enterprises are required to obtain system information provided by suppliers and to specify in procurement contracts matters such as regulatory compliance, audit inspections, incident handling, and allocation of responsibilities.

With respect to AI incident management, the draft classifies AI incidents into four levels: severe, higher, medium, and lower. Telecom enterprises are required to establish a centralized incident database to record abnormal events occurring during system operation and testing, and to conduct investigations and handling in accordance with prescribed procedures. Among these, severe and higher-level incidents are proposed to be reported to TRAI, and incident records may adopt the Telecommunications Engineering Centre (TEC) 57090:2025 standard or a classification system with equivalent functions.

In terms of organizational management, the draft requires applicable enterprises to establish an AI Governance and Safety Committee, with a senior executive serving as the governance and safety officer. Committee members are proposed to cover departments such as network operations, service delivery, information technology, data management, regulatory compliance, and consumer affairs, and to conduct regular reviews of the performance, security incidents, potential biases, and systemic risks of deployed systems.

The draft also stipulates that enterprises' internal AI policies be reviewed at least once every fiscal year and filed with TRAI within 7 working days after the relevant policies take effect. Telecom operating enterprises must establish mechanisms for recording and handling user complaints of AI-related harm, securely manage data generated by AI systems, and clearly define the human oversight responsibilities of relevant personnel.

This draft is a telecom-sector-specific governance document formulated on the basis of the "India AI Governance Guidelines" released by the Indian government in February 2026. TRAI will advance subsequent rulemaking based on the results of the public consultation, and the relevant requirements are currently still at the proposed stage.