Telecom Regulator TRAI Bars Over 1.2 Lakh Numbers in Anti-Spam Drive

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India took enforcement action against more than 1.24 lakh telecom resources and blacklisted 374 entities for one year during the July-September quarter to curb unsolicited commercial communication.

Actions and Complaints

A total of 1,10,325 telecom resources, including mobile numbers, faced a 15-day bar on outgoing services for a first violation. Meanwhile, 13,777 resources were disconnected for one year due to repeat violations. The regulator also blocked 3,725 SMS headers and blacklisted 374 senders, stopping them from getting fresh telecom resources for a year. TRAI received 15.29 million complaints during the quarter, with 7.23 lakh classified as actionable. These complaints came against a backdrop of 714.01 billion calls and 702.28 billion SMSes originating across networks, resulting in a complaint rate of about 2.14 per million outgoing calls.

Detection and Numbering

The TRAI DND App served as the main reporting channel, accounting for 14.21 million or 92.9% of all complaints and reaching 4.23 million downloads by September 30. Artificial intelligence systems deployed by telecom operators flagged 19.9 billion incoming calls and messages as suspected spam. Operators issued over 4.59 million warning notifications, conducted electronic KYC verification for 34,025 suspected senders, and disconnected 9,977 senders for failing verification. TRAI also used dedicated numbering series like the 140 series for promotional calls, the 1600 series for banking and government services, and a separate 1601 series introduced on August 10 for utilities and delivery firms.

Context

Unsolicited commercial communication remains a persistent issue for mobile users across India, prompting regulators to enforce strict rules on telemarketers and carriers. The use of specialized numbering series helps subscribers easily identify the nature of incoming calls before answering.