In Short:
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has ordered telecom providers to ban promotional spam calls from unregistered telemarketers. If found violating the rules, these telemarketers could be disconnected for up to two years and blacklisted. Access providers must report actions taken regularly. TRAI hopes this move will greatly reduce spam calls and offer relief to consumers.
In a significant move to combat the issue of spam calls, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a directive mandating all access providers to terminate promotional voice calls originating from unregistered telemarketers (UTMs), whether these calls are pre-recorded or computer-generated. This measure is aimed at enhancing consumer protection against unsolicited communications.
According to the official statement from TRAI, “All promotional voice calls from unregistered Senders/UTMs using Telecom Resources (SIP/PRI/other telecom resources) shall be stopped immediately.”
If any UTM is found misusing its telecom resources to make commercial voice calls that breach regulations—leading to complaints from consumers—TRAI has stipulated that the access provider must sever the telecom resources linked to such senders for a duration of up to two years. This is outlined in Regulation 25 of the Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulations, 2018 (TCCCPR-2018).
The TRAI further noted that these senders would be blacklisted by the Originating Access Provider (OAP) for up to two years, and the blacklisting information must be communicated to all other access providers via a digital ledger technology (DLT) platform within 24 hours. Thereafter, the other access providers will also disconnect any telecom resources provided to that sender within 24 hours.
Additionally, the directive specifies that no new telecom resources shall be allocated to any sender on the blacklist throughout the duration of this penalty, in adherence to the regulatory framework.
All access providers are required to adhere to these instructions and must provide regular updates on their compliance efforts on the 1st and 16th of each month. The TRAI emphasized that this proactive stance is anticipated to substantially reduce the volume of spam calls and subsequently offer relief to consumers.
