Mumbai: With a view to facilitate mobile prepaid customers with more options to recharge, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has permitted ‘mobile prepaid recharges’ as a biller category in Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), on a voluntary basis. This will be implemented on or before August 31, 2021.
In 2013, BBPS, started as an interoperable platform for repetitive bill payments, which covered bills of five categories viz. Direct to Home (DTH), Electricity, Gas, Telecom and Water. The system provided standardised bill payment experience, centralised customer grievance redressal mechanism, prescribed customer convenience fee and ensured availability of a bouquet of anytime, anywhere digital payment options.
RBI issued the final guidelines of BBPS in November 2014. The scope and coverage of BBPS was expanded by an RBI circular dated September 16, 2019 to include all categories of billers which raise recurring bills (except mobile prepaid recharges) as eligible participants, on a voluntary basis.