How TRAI’s New Guidelines Will Tackle Spam Calls and SMS in India

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) announced new regulations on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, aimed at combating spam calls and SMS messages across telecom networks.

The updated amendment to the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR) of 2018 mandates that telecom companies must acknowledge complaints regarding spam within a week of receiving them, respond more swiftly to issues involving unregistered telemarketers (within five days), and establish stricter tolerance levels for reported spammers.

Legitimate business communications will now be subject to additional disclosure requirements. According to TRAI, customers will be able to easily recognize the nature of a commercial message by examining its SMS sender header, which will include suffixes such as “-P” for promotional messages, “-S” for service messages, “-T” for transactional messages, and “-G” for government messages. This information was provided in a note that accompanied the notification.

Telecom operators are now required to establish comprehensive systems for monitoring and analyzing communication patterns, while also adhering to the new regulations.

Additionally, the enforced use of designated number series and headers will necessitate that telemarketers adjust their practices in accordance with TRAI’s guidelines.

Key Amendments

1. Simplified Complaint Submission: Consumers are now able to report spam calls or messages directly via the Do Not Disturb (DND) application. Complaints can be submitted within a week of receiving the spam communication.

2. Enforcement Against Spammers: Telecom operators are required to take action against unregistered senders within five days of a complaint being lodged. Repeat violators will incur more severe penalties, which may include the suspension of all telecom services.

3. Required Unsubscribe Feature: Promotional messages are now obligated to provide a clear opt-out option, enabling consumers to unsubscribe from unwanted communications.

4. Restrictions on Telemarketing Numbers: The use of 10-digit numbers for telemarketing purposes is now banned. Promotional calls must utilize the 140 series, while transactional and service-related calls are required to use the 1600 series.

5. Standardized Message Headers: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has established specific headers for various message types to enhance clarity: suffixes such as “-P” for promotional messages, “-S” for service messages, “-T” for transactional messages, and “-G” for government messages will be available.

6. Disclosure of Robocalls: Telemarketers are mandated to inform recipients about the use of Robocalls, ensuring transparency in their communications.

7. Penalties for Violations: Telecom operators will incur fines for inaccurately reporting spam calls which could be  ₹2 lakh for the initial violation, ₹5 lakh for the second violation, and ₹10 lakh for each subsequent violation.

8. Pattern Analysis to Identify Spammers: Telecom companies are obligated to analyze call and SMS patterns to detect potential spammers. Indicators such as elevated call volumes, brief call durations, and a low ratio of incoming to outgoing calls will be utilized to identify suspicious activities.

The amendments introduced by TRAI are designed to enhance the effectiveness of spam combating measures and prioritize consumer interests. The implementation of stricter monitoring and penalties for offenders is anticipated to discourage spammers and telemarketers from engaging in unethical practices.