TRAI Cracks Down on Spammers
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has intensified its efforts to combat spam, leading to the blacklisting of over 50 entities and the disconnection of more than 2.75 lakh telecom resources in the past two weeks.
Why This Happened
TRAI’s actions are part of the Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulations, 2018 (TCCCPR-2018), which aim to reduce unwanted commercial communication. The crackdown follows a surge in complaints, with over 7.9 lakh grievances against Unregistered Telemarketers (UTMs) in the first half of 2024.
New Directives
On August 13, 2024, TRAI issued strict directives to all access providers to stop promotional voice calls from unregistered senders using session initiation protocol (SIP), primary rate interface (PRI), or other telecom resources. Any UTM found misusing telecom resources faces severe penalties, including disconnection for up to two years and blacklisting.
Impact
Access providers have quickly complied with TRAI’s orders, disconnecting and blacklisting entities involved in spam activities. These measures are expected to provide significant relief to consumers troubled by spam calls.
Future Outlook
TRAI has called on all stakeholders in the telecom industry to strictly follow the regulations and help create a cleaner and more efficient telecom ecosystem.
Doubts Revealed
TRAI -: TRAI stands for the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. It is a government body that oversees and regulates the telecom industry in India.
Spammers -: Spammers are people or entities that send unwanted messages, often in bulk, to many people. These messages can be annoying and sometimes harmful.
2.75 Lakh -: 2.75 Lakh means 275,000. In India, ‘Lakh’ is a term used to represent 100,000.
Blacklisted -: Blacklisted means that certain entities or people are put on a list that bans them from certain activities. In this case, it means they are not allowed to send messages or make calls.
Telecom resources -: Telecom resources refer to phone numbers and other communication tools used in the telecom industry.
Unregistered Telemarketers (UTMs) -: Unregistered Telemarketers are people or companies that make promotional calls or send messages without proper registration or permission.
Access providers -: Access providers are companies that provide telecom services, like mobile and internet connections, to consumers.
Promotional calls -: Promotional calls are phone calls made to advertise or sell products and services.
Cleaner telecom ecosystem -: A cleaner telecom ecosystem means a telecom environment with fewer unwanted calls and messages, making it better for users.