TRAI Directs Telecom Companies to Stop Spam Calls, Blacklist Spam Callers

The problem of spam calls has increased in the last few years. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is taking measures to curb the problem of spam calls. TRAI has directed telecom companies to stop promotional calls from unregistered callers.

Along with this, TRAI has asked telecom companies to blacklist spam calls. TRAI As per the directive, all telecom companies in the country need to stop pre-recorded, computer generated or other types of spam calls from unregistered telemarketers or unregistered senders. A statement issued by the telecom regulator said, “This directive is expected to significantly reduce spam calls and provide relief to customers.” The consequences for those who violate this rule have also been decided. The TRAI directive states that if any unregistered telemarketer is found involved in spam calls, he may lose phone connections.

TRAI has also started using blockchain technology to stop the problem of spam calls. TRAI has said that information related to blacklisting of the sender of spam calls will be received from the Originating Access Provider (OAP) to all other access providers within 24 hours. After this, all telecom connections of the sender making spam calls will be disconnected. Apart from this, unregistered telemarketers making commercial voice calls will be shifted to TRAI’s blockchain platform within 30 days of the issuance of this notice.

Telecom companies have started trial of caller ID service in some regions to deal with spam calls. TRAI and Telecom Department (DoT) have put pressure on these companies to implement the Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) feature. This can help in stopping fake and spam calls. If this feature is fully implemented in the country, then customers will not need third-party caller identification apps. Telecom companies have started trial of CNAP caller ID display service. Earlier, TRAI had asked to implement CNAP for all mobile phones in the country. However, there was some opposition from telecom companies.