The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has stepped up efforts to curb the widespread issue of spam calls and SMS in the country. The regulator’s stringent actions have already led to a significant drop in complaints, as telecom resources are being closely monitored.

In a series of directions issued this year, TRAI mandated that entities engaging in illegal promotional calls face severe penalties. These include disconnection of services, blacklisting for up to two years, and suspension of new resource allocations. As a result, complaints against spam calls have decreased. Reports from telecom providers show that complaints fell from 1.89 lakh in August 2024 to 1.51 lakh in October 2024 — a 20% reduction.

Further strengthening these efforts, TRAI introduced enhanced message traceability measures. Starting November 2024, all messages from Principal Entities (PEs) and Telemarketers (TMs) must be traceable, with a deadline extension to November 30, 2024, for necessary upgrades. This technical solution aims to improve transparency and reduce spam further.

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Webinars organized by TRAI have raised awareness among stakeholders, including representatives from regulatory bodies like RBI, SEBI, and IRDAI. So far, thousands of participants from various sectors have attended, and over thirteen thousand PEs have registered their telemarketing chains with telecom providers.

With continued vigilance, TRAI’s proactive measures promise a significant reduction in spam-related disruptions.