TRAI Calls For Stricter Regulations To Curb Unsolicited Voice Calls

In response to growing consumer complaints about unwanted calls, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India convened a meeting on Tuesday with service providers and their telemarketers. The aim was to address the issue of bulk voice calls and enforce stricter measures to curb them.

TRAI emphasised the need for immediate action from stakeholders, particularly telecom operators and telemarketers. The regulator has called for the implementation of technical solutions to trace and prevent bulk calling, specifically targeting enterprise customers using 10-digit numbers.

"The regulator has conveyed a strong message to the service providers and their telemarketers to come forward and take effective measures to curb bulk communications using voice calls," the TRAI said in a release.

During the meeting, TRAI highlighted the misuse of communication headers and content templates, and discussed the steps needed to identify and hold accountable those responsible for sending unsolicited messages.

The discussion also covered the regulation of various types of promotional calls, including robotic, auto-dialer, and pre-recorded calls. TRAI urged a shift to Distributed Ledger Technology for all enterprise customers sending bulk communications, to ensure compliance with regulatory standards.