NEW DELHI: In a bid to combat the rising menace of spam calls in the country, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) directed telecom service providers (TSPs) on Thursday to disconnect the telecom resources of any entity caught engaging in spam activities.
Under the new directive, entities found exploiting their SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) or PRI (Primary Rate Interface) lines for spam calls will be blacklisted by their TSP, and this information will be shared with other telecom operators to ensure comprehensive blacklisting across the industry up to two years. During this blacklisting period, no new telecom resources will be allocated to the entity by any TSP.
The decision was made during a meeting held on Thursday with 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. However, TRAI noted that representatives from MTNL and Reliance Communications Limited were absent from the meeting.
In addition to these measures, starting 1 September 2024, messages containing URLs or APKs that are not pre-approved will be barred from delivery. This move aims to prevent the spread of potentially harmful or unwanted content through unauthorised links. Furthermore, TRAI has mandated that TSPs complete the technical implementation of Entity and Telemarketer chain binding for message traceability by October 31, 2024.
This measure is designed to ensure a transparent and traceable flow of messages, enhancing the ability to track and address spam activities effectively. “With effect from 1 September 2024, no message, containing URLs/ APKs that are not whitelisted, shall be allowed to be delivered,” said TRAI in a press note. TRAI has underscored the urgency of these actions, emphasising the need for immediate and firm measures against spammers exploiting PRI/SIP connections for unsolicited calls.