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TRAI hosts joint regulators’ meet to tackle telecom-linked frauds, launches digital consent pilot
Coordinated by TRAI and the RBI, the initiative seeks to replace outdated, unverifiable offline consents with a secure, digital system.
A dedicated 1600-number series for transactional and service-related calls in the banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) sectors was a major agenda point.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today convened a high-level meeting of the Joint Committee of Regulators (JCoR) in New Delhi. The meeting aimed to fast-track collaborative efforts against telecom-linked spam, fraud, and infrastructure misuse.
Senior representatives from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) participated in the deliberations. Officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) were also in attendance.
Key Announcements and Initiatives:
Phased Shift to 1600-Series for Commercial Calls A dedicated 1600-number series for transactional and service-related calls in the banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) sectors was a major agenda point. The regulators discussed a phased migration to this series, tailored to the scale and preparedness of various entities. Sectoral regulators will provide specific inputs to TRAI to chart out transition timelines.
Digital Consent Acquisition (DCA) Pilot Kicks Off To tackle unsolicited commercial communications, a pilot project on Digital Consent Acquisition was launched. Coordinated by TRAI and the RBI, the initiative seeks to replace outdated, unverifiable offline consents with a secure, digital system. The pilot will allow consumers to digitally register, review, and revoke marketing consents via a tamper-proof, unified interface.
Major telecom service providers and banks—including SBI, PNB, ICICI, HDFC, Axis Bank, Canara Bank, and Kotak Mahindra Bank—have joined the pilot. Four working groups have been formed to manage technical, operational, and consumer awareness aspects.
The pilot was preceded by a day-long workshop on July 21, co-hosted by TRAI and RBI, where banks and telecom operators committed to sustained collaboration on consent standardization.
Real-Time Data Exchange to Combat Fraud The committee stressed the need for an automated system that enables real-time sharing of spam and fraud data among the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), DoT’s Digital Intelligence Platform, and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) systems operated by telecom providers. This will facilitate quick disconnection of numbers used by fraudsters, limiting their operational reach.
Crackdown on Bulk Spam via Enterprise Lines Regulators flagged increasing misuse of SIP and PRI telecom lines for bulk spam messaging. Proposals discussed include assigning these lines from designated number ranges and introducing new compliance safeguards to ensure accountability and prevent misuse.
Revamped SMS Header Portal To enhance transparency in commercial messaging, TRAI has upgraded its SMS header portal — smsheader.trai.gov.in. The revamped platform allows users to identify entities responsible for sending promotional SMS through specific headers.
NPCI Inducted as Strategic Stakeholder Recognizing the growing overlap between telecom abuse and financial fraud, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) was officially included as a strategic stakeholder in the JCoR. This move strengthens the forum’s ability to address frauds tied to mobile and UPI-based transactions.
“In an increasingly digitalized world, cross-sectoral collaboration among regulators is crucial for coordinated enablement of services and protection of consumers from harm,” said TRAI Chairman Shri Anil Kumar Lahoti. He emphasized that regulators must work in tandem to build a safer and more reliable communication environment.
Lahoti also praised the DoT’s recently launched Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI), a tool that labels phone numbers involved in financial scams. He called for practical yet effective regulatory safeguards that can curb misuse without impeding legitimate business activity.
The JCoR meeting marks a decisive step toward holistic regulation in India’s interconnected financial and telecom landscapes. All stakeholders agreed to expedite rollout of agreed measures and closely monitor implementation across their sectors.
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