Telecom operators have taken decisive action against spam calls by unregistered telemarketers, blacklisting 50 companies and disconnecting 275,000 telecom resources, informed Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on Tuesday.
“Access Providers have taken stern measures against misuse of telecom resources for spamming and blacklisted over 50 entities and disconnected more than 2.75 lakh (275,000) SIP DID/Mobile Numbers/Telecom resources,” Trai said in a release.
Rising complaints of spam calls
In the first half of this year, the telecom regulator received over 790,000 complaints about spam calls from unregistered telemarketers. In response, Trai has introduced new regulations requiring telecom operators to block promotional calls originating from unregistered sources, utilising various telecom technologies such as session initiation protocol (SIP) and primary rate interface (PRI).
“Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has observed a significant rise in spam calls, with over more than 7.9 lakh (790,000) complaints reported against Unregistered Telemarketers (UTMs) in the first half of the year 2024 (January to June),” the regulator said.
On August 13, Trai issued stringent directives to telecom operators, instructing them to immediately halt promotional calls from unregistered telemarketers.
“Taking this issue seriously, Trai had issued stringent directives to all Access Providers on 13th August 2024. It has mandated Access Providers to immediately stop promotional voice calls from unregistered senders or telemarketers using SIP, PRI, or other telecom resources,” the statement read.
Blacklisting, bans on telecom resources for non-compliance
Telemarketers found violating these regulations could face a ban on telecom resources for up to two years, along with being blacklisted, the statement added.
“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,” Trai warned.
Trai urged all stakeholders to contribute towards maintaining a “cleaner and more efficient telecom ecosystem” and reiterated that unregistered telemarketers caught misusing telecom resources would face strict penalties, including up to two years of disconnection and blacklisting.
To crack down on spam callers, Trai recently sought industry feedback on whether higher tariffs should be introduced for calls and text messages that exceed a certain threshold.
Trai anticipates that these tough measures will significantly reduce spam calls and improve user experience. The regulator has also urged all stakeholders to adhere to the new regulations to ensure a smooth and efficient telecom environment.
Trai’s consultation paper
On August 28, the telecom regulator released a consultation paper proposing amendments to anti-spam regulations. Among the suggested changes is the introduction of tariffs for phone calls and text messages sent from ten-digit mobile numbers that exceed a certain daily limit.
In the discussion paper, Trai suggested that telecom subscribers making over 50 calls or sending more than 50 SMS per day should be flagged as potential spam callers for further scrutiny.
(With inputs from agencies)
First Published: Sep 04 2024 | 10:02 AM IS