A new regulatory push aims to reduce the growing number of spam calls and messages affecting mobile users across India. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has introduced stricter rules requiring telecom companies to act faster against unregistered spammers.
Under the new guidelines, telecom operators must resolve complaints about unregistered spam callers within 5 days, a significant reduction from the earlier 30-day window. Users will now also get 7 days to report spam messages or calls, even if they have not registered for Do Not Disturb (DND) services.
AI to help block unwanted calls and messages
The updated framework also targets the use of random 10-digit numbers for commercial communication. According to the new rules, promotional or commercial messages must now come only from verified sources.
Entities that repeatedly send spam messages or make unsolicited calls risk losing access to telecom services entirely.
Recent data indicates that Indians receive more than 40 billion spam calls. To strengthen enforcement, TRAI is working with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to improve consent verification for commercial communications.
The regulator is also using artificial intelligence tools to identify and block suspicious activity. These systems are expected to flag or block nearly 40 crore (400 million) unwanted calls and messages every day.
Mixed response from businesses
While some businesses have raised concerns about the stricter rules, the new measures are expected to significantly reduce the volume of spam calls and messages received by mobile users.
For most consumers, the move is likely to bring relief from the frequent and unwanted promotional calls and texts that have become a common problem.
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