TRAI Enforces New Rule to Handle Spam Calls; Telecom Industry Disappointed: Check Details

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has introduced new rules and regulations to curb Spam calls and messages. However, the rules have been criticized by telecom giants including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, and Reliance Jio. TRAI introduced new rules under the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR), 2018 to improve the consumer protection. The regulatory authority is now focusing on strict penalties and simplified complaint process to tackle the spam calls. In addition, the authority has also added a redefined numbering system so that they can protect consumers from the spam calls.

India as a growing country is now witnessing one of the biggest challenges and that is significant surge in spam calls. Millions of citizens everyday are bombarded with fraudulent and spam calls that sometimes are hazardous in terms of financial loses. As per few reports, India has become one of the most spammed countries in the world. Whether its phishing scam calls or its pesky telemarketing calls, the increased volume and not just causing financial loses but also posing serious threats. Additionally, these spam calls and fraudulent messages sometimes proves to be intimidating in terms of personal data.

Keeping this issue in mind, TRAI introduced new amends that focuses on areas including keeping a track of misuse of 10 digit numbers, especially in case of marketing. The second thing that will cover this amend is the stricter rules against unregistered telemarketers. The third thing is maximize number of fines which starts at Rs 2 lakh, then 5 lakh if telecom marketer violates the rule for the second time and Rs 10 lakh if the rule has been broken for the third time.

Nevertheless, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) is not happy with the rules and regulations. The COAI is the regulatory body that represents telecom operators. As per SP Kochhar, director general of COAI, “In the current digital landscape, both OTT communication providers and telemarketers (TMs) have become major stakeholders in messaging, and thus, it would be critical to establish a regulatory framework to ensure accountability from all stakeholders in the ecosystem, including OTT platforms and telemarketers/principal entities.”