The World Opinion

Tag: trai

  • Spam Calls: TRAI Releases Review Consultation Paper To Address Unsolicited Commercial Communications Issue |

    New Delhi: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday issued a consultation paper seeking public comments on “Review of the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018” to address the issue of Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC).

    These regulations aim to protect consumers from unwanted promotional calls and messages, while allowing businesses to send targeted communications to customers who have consented for or set preferences to receive them. The Consultation Paper aims to bring forward issues observed during implementation, and which need immediate attention. The provisions of regulations related to these issues may need amendment.

    The Consultation Paper is available on TRAI website www.trai.gov.in. Written comments on the consultation Paper are invited from the stakeholders by September 25, 2024. Counter comments, if any, may be submitted by October 09, 2024. The comments and counter-comments may be sent, preferably in electronic form on the e- mail address [email protected].

    “TRAI is seeking input on areas to strengthen the regulations, including stricter provisions against the Unregistered Telemarketers (UTMs) who harass the public through spam calls, improved complaint redressal mechanisms, more effective UCC detection systems, stronger financial disincentives for violation of regulatory provisions, and revised regulations for senders and telemarketers. The paper also explores the possibility of differential tariffs for voice calls and SMS to discourage UCC,” said an official release.

  • TRAI Convenes Meeting To Protect Consumers From Harms Of Spam And Fraud.

    New Delhi: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) convened a meeting of the Joint Committee of Regulators (JCoR) to protect consumers from harms of spam and fraud; ensure more secure and efficient telecom ecosystem.

    In his address, TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti stressed the need for a joint effort to tackle the problem of spam messages and calls.

    The meeting was held on August 27, 2024, at TRAI headquarters in New Delhi. Members of the JCoR from IRDAI, PFRDA, RBI, SEBI, MoCA, MeitY, and TRAI attended the meeting. Additionally, DoT and MHA representatives joined as special guests. The JCoR serves as a collaborative platform to examine regulatory implications in the digital age and work collaboratively on regulatory frameworks.

    Lahoti urged the regulators to discuss and enable implementation of (i) whitelisting of URLs, APKs, OTT links and call back numbers to be sent in SMS, (ii) migration of existing telemarketers making promotional calls to 140 series on DLT platform, and ( iii) Declaration of entire chain of telemarketers engaged by them for PE-TM chain binding.

    The meeting explored potential collaborative efforts and strategies to address UCC and fraud through telecom resources. The key issues discussed are as given below-


    – Role of Entities in Whitelisting of URLs, APKs, OTT links, and call back numbers in the content templates and ensuring the traceability of all the messages from Senders to recipients – Many instances of misuse of headers and templates have been observed. Fraud takes place through the transmission of malicious links using the variable parts of the messages. In case of misuse of headers and content templates, it is difficult to find the entity that pushed the traffic. Therefore, mandatory whitelisting of URLs, APKs, OTT links, or call back numbers, and declaration of entire chain of telemarketers engaged by them for PE-TM chain binding as per the timelines fixed by TRAI’s latest Directions needs to be enforced.

    – Addressing the issue of entities using PRI/ SIP channels for making unsolicited calls – Many business entities make commercial voice calls using SIP/ PRI lines with hundreds of indicators in violation of TRAI’s regulations. These entities should be migrated to the designated 140 series for making promotional calls. Also, there is an urgent need to take firm action, without further delay, on spammers who are using PRI/ SIP/ bulk connections for making promotional voice calls/ Robo calls/ Pre-recorded calls.

    – Leveraging the DCA system established by telecom service providers to obtain digital consent from consumers – DCA system will be of great value to the entities, not only for messaging services, but also for voice calls. It permits the delivery of Messages and calls to the recipients despite their DND preference. The technical infrastructure for DCA is now in place. Regulators were requested to ask the entities under their jurisdiction to start using this facility in time bound manner.

    – Use of 160 series by the Entities for making service and transactional calls for easy identification by the consumers – 160 series has been allocated exclusively for Service and Transactional Calls. A Pilot Study was commissioned by TRAI and RBI to determine the technical feasibility of various options, the outcome of the same was discussed.

    – Enhancing information exchange among regulators to control frauds using telecom resources – Emphasis was given to exchange information available with various regulators on their platforms and for its effective use to control frauds.

  • Center Cautions Citizens Not To Fall Prey To Fraudulent Calls Impersonating TRAI |

    The Center on Wednesday cautioned citizens not to fall prey to fraudulent calls impersonating officials from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). There have been numerous instances where scammers, claiming to be from the telecom regulatory body, threaten people that their numbers will be blocked soon unless they give certain personal information.

    “It has been brought to the notice of TRAI that a lot of pre-recorded calls are being made to citizens claiming to be from the TRAI,” the regulatory body said. The TRAI further clarified that it does not initiate communication with customers regarding mobile number disconnection through messages or otherwise.

    “TRAI has also not authorized any third-party agency to contact customers for such purposes. Therefore, any form of communication (call, message or notice) claiming to be from TRAI and threatening mobile number disconnection should be considered a potential fraudulent attempt and must not be entertained,” it advised.

    The government also encouraged citizens to report suspected fraudulent communications through the Chakshu facility on the Department of Telecommunications’ Sanchar Saathi platform. “For confirmed instances of cybercrime, victims should report the incident at the designated cyber crime helpline number ‘1930’ or through the official website,” said TRAI.

    Moreover, the disconnection of any mobile number due to billing, KYC or misuse if any, is done by the respective telecom service provider (TSP). Citizens are advised to be vigilant and not panic to fall prey to suspected fraudsters. TRAI said they should cross-verify such calls by contacting the authorized call centers or customer service centers of the respective TSP.

    Meanwhile, the regulatory body has directed access service providers to take concrete measures to curb misuse of messaging services, effective from September 1. The telecom authority mandated them to migrate telemarketing calls starting with 140 series to the online distributed ledger technology (DLT) platform, latest by September 30, for better monitoring and control.

  • TRAI Directs Telcos To Disconnect Unregistered Telemarketers’ Lines Over Spam calls, Blacklist Them |

    New Delhi: Sector regulator TRAI on Tuesday directed telcos to disconnect all telecom resources of unregistered telemarketers found making spam calls, and to blacklist them for up to two years.

    Further, TRAI has asked telcos to comply immediately with its latest directive and submit regular updates on action taken in this regard on a fortnightly basis.

    Issuing its directive to telcos, TRAI said this “decisive action” is expected to significantly reduce spam calls and provide relief to consumers. TRAI in a release said it has issued “directives to access providers to disconnect all telecom resources of unregistered senders for making spam calls and to blacklist such senders under the Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulations, 2018” regulations.

    Towards this, TRAI has mandated all access service providers to stop voice promotional calls whether pre-recorded or computer generated or otherwise from all unregistered senders or telemarketers (UTMs) using bulk connections or other telecom resources.

    “… All promotional voice calls from the unregistered Senders/ Unregistered Telemarketer (UTMs) using Telecom Resources (SIP/ PRI/ other telecom resources) shall be stopped immediately,” TRAI said.

    If any unregistered telemarketer or sender is found to be misusing telecom resources for making commercial voice calls in violation of the regulations resulting in consumer complaints, all its telecom resources will be disconnected by the primary telecom service provider for a period up to two years. Further, such unregistered entities will be blacklisted for a period up to two years.

    “…Information regarding blacklisting of the sender shall be shared by the OAP (Originating Access Provider) with all other access providers on DLT platform, within 24 hours, who will, in turn, disconnect all the telecom resources given by them to that sender within the next 24 hours,” TRAI said. New telecom resources would not be allocated to them by any access provider during the period of blacklisting.

    “All the unregistered Senders/ Unregistered Telemarketers (UTMs) using SIP/PRI/ other telecom resources to make commercial voice calls to the citizen shall be migrated to the DLT platform within one month of the issue of this direction and submit compliance report within seven days thereafter,” TRAI said.

    Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has directed all telcos to comply with its latest directive and submit regular updates on the actions taken on the first and sixteenth of every month.

    The regulator has declared an all-out war against the rising menace of spam calls – last week TRAI had warned that telcos will disconnect the telecom resources of entities that are found misusing bulk connections for making spam calls, and such entities would face blacklisting by all operators for up to two years.

    TRAI held a meeting with regulatory heads of all the Telecom Service Providers last Thursday. The meeting, Chaired by TRAI Chief, was attended by the Chief Regulatory Officers of Airtel, BSNL, Quadrant Televentures Limited (QTL), Reliance Jio, Tata Teleservices Limited, Vodafone Idea Limited and V-CON Mobile & Infra Private Limited.

  • Tired of spam calls? TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti Promises Stronger Regulations And Crackdown.

    New Delhi: Spam calls can be incredibly irritating as it disrupts our day and often leads to frustration. These unwanted calls can come at any time, making it difficult to focus on important tasks. Recognizing this issue, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is set to review and strengthen regulations to curb these pesky spam calls.

    On Wednesday, TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti announced plans to implement stricter measures to protect consumers from this growing nuisance. Dealing with pesky spam calls is a top priority for the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). TRAI is taking a tougher stance to address the issue with a surge in consumer complaints about unwanted calls from unauthorized telemarketers.

    “We had an interaction with service providers on spam calls and that is the next thing on our table. We will work seriously…we will plug any loopholes that people are finding on existing regulations to tighten (the checks on) spam call issue. ,” Lahoti made this announcement during the India SatCom 2024 event organized by the Broadband India Forum (BIF).

    Shri Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman, TRAI @TRAI addressing to India Satcom 2024, 9th Flagship Summit at New Delhi. pic.twitter.com/eX8HD3ClkL — TRAI (@TRAI) August 7, 2024

    TRAI on Tuesday held a meeting and conveyed a strong message to service providers and their telemarketers to take effective measures to curb bulk communications using voice calls. As part of the crackdown, the regulator has sought proactive action from all the stakeholders especially access service providers (telcos) and their delivery telemarketers.

    The immediate action sought includes implementing technical solutions for traceability and preventing bulk calling by enterprise customers using 10-digit numbers. Asked about the rising instances of fraud and scams over calls, and actions that are being proposed, Lahoti said that a joint committee of regulators is working collectively to address the issue.

    “The role of TRAI comes in controlling spam calls. Where it is fraudster or scammer…it also becomes an issue of law enforcement where Ministry of Home Affairs… and financial sector regulator also plays a role,” he said.

    Asked if raising the criminal liability could serve as an effective deterrent, he said, “We will review regulations to make it strong and very strict as far as control of spam is concerned…As far as the scam is concerned that falls in the domain of law”. (With PTI Inputs)

  • TRAI New Rules: Jio, Airtel, BSNL, Others Required To Compensate Users For Service Outages— Details Inside |

    New Delhi: Under new rules announced by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on Friday, telecom operators will now be required to compensate subscribers if service outages last more than 24 hours at a district level. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has raised the penalty for failing to meet quality standards under the new rules. The fine has been increased to Rs 1 lakh, up from Rs 50,000.

    The regulator has rolled out a new graded penalty system under the updated “Standards of Quality of Service of Access (Wirelines and Wireless) and Broadband (Wireline and Wireless) Service Regulations, 2024.” Fines will now range from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, depending on the severity of the rule violations.

    The new norms superseded three different regulations: Quality of Service (QoS) for basic and cellular mobile services, broadband services, and broadband wireless services. In case of a network outage in a district, telecom operators will need to provide a rebate on rent for postpaid customers and extend the validity of connection for prepaid customers as per the new rules.

    “If any such significant network outage continues for more than 24 hours, the service provider shall provide a proportional rent rebate, as per subscribed tariff offering, for the actual number of days of service outage to postpaid subscribers registered in the affected district(s) in the next billing cycle,” Trai said.

    The regulator will count network outage duration of more than 12 hours in a calendar day as one full day for the calculation of rent rebate or extension of validity. “Rent rebate to postpaid customer or validity extension to prepaid customer, due delay in rectification of faults or due to significant network outage of more than 24 hours, as applicable, shall be made within one week of rectification of significant network outage,” the new norms said.

    However, outages due to natural calamities will not be considered for the extension of validity. Even fixed-line service providers will have to compensate postpaid and prepaid customers if the fault in their network or service is fixed after three days. The new rule mandates broadband service providers to activate 98% of connections within 7 days of customers making payment.

    Mobile service providers will need to provide service-wise (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G) geospatial coverage maps on their website that will help users. Trai’s new rules will come into force after six months. (With PTI Inputs)

  • Telcos To Ensure Service Quality Despite Regulatory Challenges: COAI | Technology News

    New Delhi: Telecom services providers (TSPs) remain committed to engaging constructively with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on quality of service (QoS)-related matters, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said on Sunday. 

    TSPs have consistently invested in enhancing QoS through significant improvements in network infrastructure, resulting in greater stability and reliability. Moreover, said the COAI, major initiatives are underway to fiberise towers across India, which is a crucial step for the efficient deployment of 5G services.

    “While TRAI has tightened the QoS benchmarks over the years, the ground realities remain unchanged. TSPs still grapple with Right of Way (RoW) issues when acquiring permissions for infrastructure deployment in public and private land for the installation of cell towers and fiber-optic cables,” said Lt. Gen. Dr S.P. Kochhar, Director General, COAI.

    According to the leading industry body, the situation is further aggravated due to the additional requirement of street furniture for the 5G networks. Moreover, interference from various sources, such as other wireless devices and electromagnetic interference, degrade signal quality and network performance, the COAI informed.

    “Further, illegal boosters and repeaters used by unauthorised agents, as well as the cases of theft of equipment are also external factors which, nevertheless, impact the QoS,” Kochhar noted, adding that TSPs have limited control over these external sources which adversely impact the Quality of Services.

    There has been a substantial rise in theft of active telecommunications equipment in the country, which is being sold on various websites. Despite these challenges, TSPs have consistently met TRAI’s QoS benchmarks. “The industry expresses concern over the proposed regulations, which not only tighten benchmarks but also shift from quarterly to monthly reporting and site to cell level reporting in many cases,” said the COAI.

    According to Kochhar, the QoS parameters prescribed in the new regulations have not been introduced by any other regulator in other similar economies. “Our member organisations will continue to strive for excellence in service quality while advocating for regulations that recognise the practical challenges faced by our industry,” Kochhar added.

  • How Is Jio TV Streaming Cricket On Its OTT Platform Without Permission? Cable Operators Write To TRAI | Companies News

    The All Local Cable Operator Association Delhi (ALCOA India) has raised objections to Jio TV broadcasting India-Sri Lanka ODI and T20 matches on its OTT platform without the necessary permissions. The association has labeled this action as illegal and has called on the government to take corrective measures. In a letter addressed to the Chairman of TRAI, ALCOA India’s President, Narendra Bagdi, has sought resolution for these grievances.

    In the letter, the association stated, “We All Local Cable Operator Association Delhi (ALCOA INDIA) are representative body of Local Cable Operators (LCOs / LMOs). This is to bring to your kind attention that how JIO TV is providing Linear & Live content (which is regularised by TRAI) on its OTT Platform and due to this the Cable TV Industry of INDIA is suffering very huge losses in terms of business and jobs.”

    The letter further detailed that according to data from the Broadcast Audience Research Council, the number of television households in India increased from 197 million in 2018 to 210 million in 2020. However, those using cable television services dropped from 120 million to 90 million during the same period, and this number continues to decline.

    Questioning the broadcasters, the association asked, “How are they providing linear content on OTT platform. We have raised this issue with TRAI & MIB many times earlier also but there straight reply is that OTT is not regularised. But we are not much educated and aware of the cable act as they (TRAI & MIB) are. Now we can suggest a solution which they could have done much earlier. The solution is that, all the content on Linear TV is running after getting UP linking & Down linking permissions from MIB under cable act 1995. All this process is regulated by TRAI and approved by MIB. Now they can simply pass an order/regulation in which they can warn all the broadcasters {who are providing Linear content} to stop providing Linear Content (Which is regulated under Cable Act 1995) to OTT platforms.”

    The association emphasized, that according to the uplinking and downlinking permissions granted by the Indian government, broadcasters are authorized to provide linear content only to MSOs, HITS, DTH players, and IPTV through their IRD channels. Providing linear content to OTT platforms is illegal.

    Expressing frustration over the lack of action, the association questioned, “Why is TRAI not taking action against this illegal practice that is destroying the Indian cable TV industry? For the India vs Sri Lanka series, cable TV operators pay ?19 + GST for Ten Sports’ live content, while Jio TV offers it for free, leading to unfair competition that could devastate the industry.”

    The letter also addressed the unauthorized provision of linear live content for the India vs Sri Lanka series, asking if it was being done through IRD or another route. The association hopes TRAI officials can obtain this information from the broadcaster and provide a response.

    The letter highlighted that Star India Pvt. Ltd. streams linear content on its OTT platform Disney+ Hotstar, as well as on channels like Star Plus and Star Sports. Similarly, Indiacast provides linear content on Colors TV and MTV while also streaming it on Jio TV, which is not legal.

    Warning about the dangers of unregulated content, the association wrote, “The unregulated content have the negative social impact on society as all type of content are flowing freely through these OTT platforms without any check. Further the presence of all the major channels without any extra cost is luring the subscribers of cable TV specially house wives, students and young generations who are moving to the OTT platforms considering it as reasonable/better option than continuing with cable television. It may be noted that the major/big OTT platforms are in house products of the Broadcasters where the content of the linear channels are being shown even before the content being telecasted on the linear TV.”

    The association also noted that many broadcasters have their own OTT platforms, where they show linear content even before it airs on linear TV. They referenced a previous complaint from April 13, 2023, about the illegal streaming of Tata IPL on Jio Cinema, which received no response from TRAI, MIB, or CCI.

  • Facing Mobile Network Issue? Soon, Telcos To Pay You Back For Service Outages |

    NEW DELHI: Telecom operators will have to compensate subscribers in case of service outages for more than 24 hours at a district level under the new quality of service rules issued by the sector regulator Trai on Friday. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has also increased the penal amount to Rs 1 lakh from Rs 50,000 for failing to meet each quality benchmark under the new rules.

    The regulator has introduced a graded penalty system of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 2 lakh, Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh for different scales of rule violations under revised regulations –“The Standards of Quality of Service of Access (Wirelines and Wireless) and Broadband (Wireline and Wireless) Service Regulations, 2024”.

    The new norms supersede three different regulations — Quality of Service (QoS) for basic and cellular mobile services, broadband services, and broadband wireless services. In case of a network outage in a district, telecom operators will need to provide a rebate on rent for postpaid customers and extend the validity of connection for pre-paid customers as per the new rules.

    “If any such significant network outage continues for more than 24 hours, the service provider shall provide a proportional rent rebate, as per subscribed tariff offering, for the actual number of days of service outage to postpaid subscribers registered in the affected district(s) in the next billing cycle,” Trai said.

    The regulator will count network outage duration of more than 12 hours in a calendar day as one full day for the calculation of rent rebate or extension of validity. “Rent rebate to postpaid customer or validity extension to prepaid customer, due delay in rectification of faults or due to significant network outage of more than 24 hours, as applicable, shall be made within one week of rectification of significant network outage,” the new norms said.

    However, outages due to natural calamity will not be considered for the extension of validity. Even fixed-line service providers will have to compensate postpaid and prepaid customers if the fault in their network or service is fixed after three days. The new rule mandates broadband service providers to activate 98 per cent of connections within 7 days of customers making payment.

    Mobile service providers will need to provide service-wise (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G) geospatial coverage maps on their website that will help users. Trai’s new rules will come into force after six months.

  • TRAI modifies rules for new SIM replacement under mobile number portability |

    New Delhi: SIM swap and replacement fraud is increasingly common in the telecommunications industry. It occurs when fraudsters manipulate telecom providers into transferring a mobile phone number to a new SIM card often without the victim’s knowledge. This fraudulent practice enables unauthorised access to personal information, financial accounts, and services associated with the compromised phone number.

    To combat SIM swap and replacement fraud, starting July 1, amendments to Mobile Number Portability (MNP) regulations will be implemented, The telecom regulatory body Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said on June 28. (Also Read: Vodafone Idea Joins Jio, Airtel In Major Tariff Hike On Postpaid And Prepaid Plans : Check New Prices)

    According to TRAI, SIM swap or replacement refers to acquiring a new SIM card to replace a lost or non-functional one by the existing subscriber. TRAI rules also allow users to opt for Mobile Number Portability (MNP), enabling them to keep their mobile number when switching from one telecom provider to another within the country. With a view to improving the MNP process from time to time, the Telecommunication Mobile Number Portability Regulations, 2009 have been amended eight times in the past.

    The TRAI has also decided to introduce an additional criterion for rejection of the request for allocation of the Unique Porting Code through these amendment regulations. It further mandates that the UPC should not be allocated if the request for UPC has been made before the expiry of seven days from the date of SIM swap or replacement of the mobile number which was earlier ten days. (Also Read: Realme C61 With 5,000mAh Battery, HD+ Display Launched: Check Price, Specs, Offers & More)

    In an explanation note, the telecom regulator stated that while some stakeholders believed that a 10-day wait period following a SIM swap or replacement was appropriate, others argued that a shorter wait period, such as two to four days, would be more reasonable and that a 10-day wait period may cause subscribers inconvenience, particularly in cases of urgent porting.

    “These amendment regulations are aimed at curbing the porting of mobile numbers by way of fraudulent SIM swap/replacement by unscrupulous elements, TRAI added. (With ANI Inputs)