In Short:
India’s telecom regulator is cracking down on spam calls by directing telcos to disconnect resources of entities misusing bulk connections for spam calls and blacklist them for two years. Telcos must share information with other operators to prevent the entity from getting new resources. Additionally, Trai has banned delivery of messages containing unauthorized URLs or APKs. Telcos must implement traceability of message flow to curb spam.
Telecom Regulator Directs Telcos to Crack Down on Spam Calls
India’s telecom regulator has instructed telcos to disconnect all telecom resources provided to entities found misusing bulk connections for spam calls and blacklist them for two years. The move aims to combat spam communications, including robocalls and pre-recorded voice calls.
Action Against Spam Communication
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has mandated that telcos sharing resources with such entities must inform other operators to also disconnect and blacklist them. The blacklisted entities will be unable to obtain connections from other telcos during the two-year period.
Trai has also directed telcos to refrain from delivering messages containing unapproved URLs or APKs from September 1 to prevent online scams. Additionally, telecom firms must complete the technical implementation of entity and telemarketer chain binding by October 31 to ensure message traceability.
Trai, in a meeting with telecom companies, stressed the urgent need to address the issue of spam calls swiftly. All telecom firms have pledged full cooperation with Trai in curbing spam calls and will implement the directives within the specified timeframe.
Consumers have been inundated with spam calls from unregistered entities or telemarketers. The misuse of PRI services, providing multiple connections for spamming, is a major concern that authorities are working to tackle.
Trai discussed the migration of telemarketers and enterprises to blockchain technology for sending bulk commercial communications. Only registered principal entities are permitted to send promotional messages to mobile consumers, with telcos required to shift all commercial messaging to blockchain-based platforms.
Businesses sending commercial texts must register themselves, along with their unique sender code and message templates, on the blockchain-based distributed ledger technology.
