The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has been taking proactive steps to control the spam menace in the country. In a recent move, the country’s telecom watchdog issued a directive to all network providers asking them to stop promotional calls from unregistered callers, an official statement issued by TRAI on August 13 said. As part of the order, TRAI has also asked telecom companies operating in India to blacklist spam calls, many of which pose a financial threat to citizens.
As per the TRAI directive, all telecom operators in India are required to restrict promotional calls, whether they are pre-recorded, computer-generated or otherwise, from unregistered telemarketers (UTMs) or unregistered broadcasters.
“TRAI’s decisive action is expected to significantly reduce the number of spam calls and provide relief to consumers,” said a statement signed by TRAI secretary Atul Kumar Chaudhary.
The telecom regulator has also decided on the consequences for those who break this rule. According to its notification, any unregistered telemarketer who is caught using telecom resources may lose all his telephony resources. The network disconnection will be supervised and implemented by the Originating Access Provider (OAP) and may last for two years. During the blacklisting period, these UTMs will not be issued new telecom resources by any access provider.
TRAI turns to blockchain technology to control spam calls
Blockchain technology, also known as Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), was implemented by TRAI as part of efforts to curb the problem of increased spam calls in India.
In its statement, the telecoms regulator said that “information regarding the Broadcaster’s blacklisting will be made available by the OAP to all other Access Providers on the DLT platform within 24 hours.” After that time, all telecom resources provided to the broadcaster will be disconnected.
Further, UTMs making commercial voice calls will also be migrated to TRAI’s blockchain platform within 30 days of the issuance of this notification. The UTMs have been asked to submit a compliance report within seven days. The news of TRAI launching its blockchain platform for this purpose first surfaced in November 2023.
“All access providers have been directed to comply with these directives and submit regular updates regarding the actions taken on 1st and 16th of every month,” the TRAI statement added.
Commenting on TRAI’s adoption of blockchain technology, Sharat Chandra told Gadgets360 that this is an attempt by TRAI to ensure that only legitimate entities can send bulk messages, thereby protecting consumers from fraudulent activities. Chandra is the founder of a blockchain-focused investment firm called EmpowerEdge Ventures.
“TRAI’s implementation of blockchain technology aims to significantly improve the day-to-day lives of citizens by creating a more secure and transparent communication environment,” Chandra said.
