In Short:
Telecom operators in India are warning of major disruptions in message delivery starting November 1 due to a new regulation from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). This mandate requires telecommunications companies to trace messages from banks and other entities. Messages with undefined telemarketer chains will be blocked, risking delivery of critical communications like OTPs. Although telecom companies are ready to implement this, they say telemarketers need more time to comply and are asking for a two-month extension. They suggest operating in “logger mode” until December 1 to minimize disruptions while they address the issues.
Telecom Operators Sound Alarm Over Message Disruptions in India
New Delhi: In a recent announcement, telecom operators have raised concerns about significant interruptions to transactional and service messages due to a new regulation by the sector regulator, set to take effect from November 1.
Regulatory Changes by Trai
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had issued a directive back in August, mandating all telecom companies to ensure that messages originating from principal entities (PEs)—like banks, e-commerce firms, and financial institutions—are traceable starting next month. Under this new rule, any message that lacks a defined chain of telemarketers or fails to match specified criteria will be blocked or not delivered at all. This means that if there’s any ambiguity in the messaging chain, the message simply won’t reach its intended recipient.
Warnings from Telecom Operators
Telecom operators are voicing their concerns that critical messages, including one-time passwords (OTPs) and other essential notifications, might not be successfully delivered due to the fact that many telemarketers and PEs have yet to implement the necessary technical solutions.
Scope of the Disruption
To put things in perspective, it’s reported that an astonishing 1.5-1.7 billion commercial messages are dispatched each day across India. The potential disruption from this new mandate is immense if a large volume of messages is blocked or goes undelivered.
Seeking More Time
Operators have informed Trai that while their systems are set to comply with the directive by November 1, the telemarketers and PEs need additional time to finalize their processes. In response, these entities are proposing a two-month extension to meet the new requirements.
Push for Relaxation from COAI
In a bid to alleviate these concerns, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI)—which includes major players like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea—has formally requested that Trai reconsider the implementation timeline for the traceability mandate.
A Call for Minimal Disruption
According to telecom operators, it is crucial for PEs and telemarketers to fully complete their setup to allow for proper message scrubbing, thus minimizing disruptions in messaging traffic. They have suggested to Trai that companies should implement the new rules in a “logger mode” starting November 1. This would mean that messages wouldn’t be blocked immediately for issues like hash mismatches or unregistered chains.
To further mitigate disruption, telcos plan to provide daily reports to telemarketers and PEs, enabling timely corrective action. They anticipate moving to a stricter blocking mode by December 1.
Previous Extensions and Whitelisting
This request marks the second occasion on which the telecom sector has sought a deadline extension to comply with Trai’s mandate regarding commercial messaging. In an earlier instance, the regulator postponed the deadline for whitelisting messages featuring URLs and OTT links until October 1, allowing companies extra time to adjust their systems. Following this extension, most PEs and telemarketers have successfully come into compliance.
The Importance of Whitelisting
Whitelisting requires entities that send commercial messages to provide comprehensive information about URLs, callback numbers, and other details to telecom companies. These details are then processed through a blockchain-based distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform. If the information aligns, the message is permitted; if not, it is blocked.
Trai’s Ongoing Efforts
Trai has been actively working to curb misuse of headers and content templates, striving for a safer and more efficient telecom environment. The regulator has been advising telecom companies to adopt the whitelisting mechanism since May 2023, but the industry has struggled to establish the required infrastructure. Initially, Trai mandated that only whitelisted URLs, APKs, and other approved content be used in messaging templates, expecting a compliance report within 45 days.
