In a significant move to enhance consumer protection, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has announced stringent new regulations aimed at curbing the rising menace of spam calls and messages. These measures, set to be implemented from September 1, 2024, are designed to create a safer telecom environment for users across the country.
Under the new rules, any entity caught misusing telecom resources for spam activities will face immediate disconnection of all telecom services by the service provider. Furthermore, these entities will be blacklisted for a period of two years, preventing them from accessing any telecom services during this time. This decisive action is expected to act as a strong deterrent against spammers who exploit SIP/PRI lines for unsolicited communications.
One of the key highlights of the new regulations is the ban on messages containing non-whitelisted URLs or APK files. This measure is aimed at preventing the dissemination of potentially harmful links, often used by spammers to trick consumers into scams or to download malicious software.
To bolster these efforts, TRAI has set a deadline of October 31, 2024, for telecom operators to complete the technical implementation of entity and telemarketer chain binding. This will enhance the traceability of message flows, making it easier to track and penalize the origin of spam messages.
Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State for Communications, recently addressed the issue of spam calls during a parliamentary session. He emphasized the existing measures under the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018 (TCCCPR-2018), which allow telecom subscribers to register their preferences in the Do Not Call (DNC) Registry. This registry enables subscribers to block all or specific categories of commercial communications. As of now, around 220 million subscribers have registered their preferences.
Despite these efforts, unregistered telemarketers (UTMs) have been exploiting loopholes, particularly by using regular 10-digit numbers instead of the designated 140xxx series for commercial calls. The government received over 1.2 million complaints against UTMs in 2023 alone. In response, telecom operators have been issuing warnings, imposing usage caps, and disconnecting repeat offenders.
The government’s ongoing efforts to control spam have shown positive results. The introduction of a separate 160xxx series for service and transactional calls by banks and other entities, along with the deployment of AI and machine learning systems by telecom operators, has significantly enhanced the effectiveness of these measures.
Notably, customer complaints against registered telemarketers have seen a marked decline. From over 400,000 complaints in 2021, the number dropped to just under 140,000 in 2023, underscoring the success of TRAI’s initiatives.
With these new regulations, TRAI aims to further safeguard consumers from unsolicited commercial communications and create a more secure telecom experience for all users in India.
