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TRAI crackdown on spammers: telcos blacklist 50 entities, disconnect 2.75 lakh numbers
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has taken significant action to address the pesky callers and spammers, over the last few months.
On August 28, TRAI released a consultation paper listing amendments to anti-spam rules.
With over more than 7.9 lakh complaints reported against Unregistered Telemarketers (UTMs) in the first half of the year 2024 (January to June), Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has taken stringent measures to combat the pesky callers and spammers.
Following its stringent directives to all Access Providers, issued on August 13, telecos have blacklisted over 50 entities and disconnected more than 2.75 lakh SIP DID/mobile numbers/telecom resources.
In its directive, TRAI mandated telcos to immediately stop promotional voice calls from unregistered senders or telemarketers using SIP, PRI, or other telecom resources.
The directives to curb pesky telemarketers issued by TRAI including telecom service providers blocking messages with unapproved URLs, OTT links, or callback numbers, starting September 1, 2024. From November 1, message traceability will be required, with messages lacking a clear sender chain being rejected.
"Any UTM found to be misusing these resources will face severe consequences, including disconnection of all telecom resources for up to two years and blacklisting," it said.
The recent steps by telcos and TRAI are expected to have a significant impact on reducing spam calls and providing relief to consumers.
Last week, TRAI also had convened a meeting of the Joint Committee of Regulators (JCoR) on August 27, to discuss measures for protecting consumers from harms of spam and fraud.
Its Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti has stressed the need for a joint effort to tackle the problem of spam messages and calls.
He urged the regulators to discuss and enable implementation of whitelisting of URLs, APKs, OTT links and call back numbers to be sent in SMS. Additionally, he urged for the migration of existing telemarketers making promotional calls to 140 series on DLT platform and declaration of entire chain of telemarketers engaged by them for PE-TM chain binding.
In another meeting, held on August 6, TRAI sought proactive action from all the stakeholders. The immediate action sought includes implementing technical solutions for traceability and preventing bulk calling by enterprise customers using 10-digit numbers.
TRAI also hosted meetings with the regulators including RBI, SEBI, and government departments--the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, and DoT to address the issue of pesky communications and online financial fraud. It further discussed tightening KYC rules, improving information sharing among stakeholders, and enhancing consent mechanisms.
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