TRAI issues new Regulations for Unsolicited Tele-Marketing Calls and SMS in India

Varun Krish on December 2, 2010 – 5:17 am6 Comments

Are you fedup of those Unsolicited Telemarketing calls or SMS spam? TRAI ( Telecom Regulatory Authority on India) has issued some new regulations which come into effect from Jan 1 , 2011. They have imposed strict regulations for Tele-marketers and heavy fines for those who violate the rules.

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TRAI issued The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2010 today. The report also states that unsolicited calls have gone down since the previous regulation but unsolicited SMS is on the rise. The new rules go a step beyond the Do Not Disturb registry and you can enroll yourself under a Fully Blocked category or Partially blocked category if you wish to receive marketing calls for a certain industry.

Here is what you need to do to enroll

Customer registration will be effective within seven days of registration unlike in the past when it used to be 45 days. The customer can register by ringing up 1909 or sending SMS to 1909. This service will be toll free and the customer will be given a Registration number. Customer currently on the NDNC register will continue to be registered under the ‘fully blocked’ category and need no re-registration.

All Tele-marketers would need to register and those who violate by unwanted calling or sending SMS shall pay fines ranging from Rs.25000 to Rs.2.5 lacs and might face ban for 2 years.

Banks and organizations which intimate you via SMS would continue to do so but promotional content wont be allowed.

You won’t get any nasty promotional calls from 9pm to 9am and the calls you get during the allowed hours will be from numbers starting with 70 so you can decide whether you want to take or reject the call.

While the TRAI regulations are more than welcome , we have to wait and watch to see how it’s implemented.

Varun Krish is a Mobile Technology Enthusiast and has been blogging about mobile phones since 2005. His current phones include the Nokia Lumia 800 and Apple iPhone 4S. You can follow him on Twitter @varunkrish and on Google+ You can also mail Varun Krish

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Satya

WOW…This is really a good news for us. Thinking of getting myself registered and then will wish to get calls from their end, so that will pay me up.
I was sick of getting calls and sms from these companys.

J Nair

I am still getting SMS eventhough I have registered in the DNDB section. Fed up of this. where to complain? any idea?

Gautam

This is GREAT NEWS ! I hope (as you say ) that it will be effectively implemented !
Thanks FONEARENA for the update.
S.Shafi Husain

I thank TRAI for launching the above mentioned act. What I liked the most above every thing was the disclosure of initial 2 digits of the solicitation number:)
Bilal

Hi Fonearena,

Thank You very much for the Update.

I was very much looking forward to something like this only coz I am getting this irritating SMS all over again & again even after registering with NDNC and complaining to the Service providers.

Hope this gets implemented soon and possibly works better than the NDNC Registry.
gagan

oh dear god.
they just don’t care, the telemrktrs.
the moment you ask their details and whereabouts, they cut the phone, with a tail between their legs, but still, they JUST DO NOT STOP.
there has to be a place where such calls can be reported.
if anyone knows, please respond.
I am very-very eager to teach these guys a lesson.
Gagan