The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has sought additional powers from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to take action against caller identification and call management applications, marking a significant step towards expanding regulatory oversight beyond telecom operators and into the digital platform ecosystem.
The move comes amid concerns that several caller identification platforms are classifying or enabling users to block calls originating from designated commercial number series, including 140 and 1600, which are used for authorised promotional and service-related communications. According to officials familiar with the matter, TRAI has requested to be recognised as an authorised agency under the Information Technology Act, a change that would allow it to seek compliance from internet-based platforms that currently fall outside its regulatory jurisdiction.
At present, applications such as Truecaller, Hiya and Whoscall operate as digital intermediaries under the IT Act rather than licensed telecom service providers. As a result, while TRAI regulates telecom operators and commercial communication frameworks, it does not have the legal authority to initiate enforcement action against these platforms directly.
The regulator’s request follows growing concerns that legitimate commercial and service calls are increasingly being ignored or blocked despite the introduction of verified numbering mechanisms intended to improve consumer confidence in business communications. Industry observers say this has affected sectors that depend on outbound calling, including banking, financial services, healthcare, logistics and e-commerce.
The development also comes shortly after Truecaller questioned the effectiveness of the current framework, arguing that users continue to distrust calls from designated commercial number series despite regulatory measures aimed at improving their credibility. The company has maintained that its platform reflects user behaviour and community feedback rather than independently determining whether a number should be treated as spam.
If approved, TRAI’s proposal could reshape the regulatory relationship between telecom authorities and digital communication platforms. It would also represent one of the first instances of a telecom regulator seeking formal enforcement powers over internet-based caller identification services operating under India’s broader digital governance framework.
Neither TRAI nor MeitY has publicly outlined a timeline for a decision on the proposal. However, the request is expected to trigger wider discussions on regulatory responsibilities as communication services increasingly span both telecom networks and internet-based platforms.
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