TRAI takes action against 1.83 Lakh telecom resources to curb unsolicited commercial communications
New Delhi, August 4
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India took action against 1.83 lakh telecom resources and blacklisted 263 senders during the first quarter of FY 2026-27 as part of its efforts to curb unsolicited commercial communications, according to the regulator's quarterly highlights released on Tuesday.
During April-June 2026, the country recorded 1.085 million UCC complaints, of which 0.553 million were classified as actionable complaints. Against this, 1,37,053 telecom resources were barred for 15 days for the first violation, while repeat violations resulted in telecom resources being disconnected for one year. TRAI also blocked 2,873 SMS headers and blacklisted 263 senders for one year.
The enforcement action came against the backdrop of 730.82 billion calls and 691.09 billion SMS messages originating from telecom networks during the quarter. TRAI said the 1.085 million UCC complaints represented approximately 1.5 complaints per million calls.Consumer participation through the TRAI DND App continued to be a key part of the regulatory framework, accounting for 89 per cent of all UCC complaints received by access providers. Consumers can use the app, their telecom operator's app or website, or call or send an SMS to 1909 to register or modify their Do Not Disturb preferences.
However, more than 1.12 billion subscribers have not registered any DND preference, leaving them accessible to commercial communications from registered telemarketers and senders. TRAI said consumers seeking greater control over promotional communications can register their preferences on the DND registry.
The regulator has also designated the 140xx numbering series for promotional calls and the 1600xx series for service and transactional calls, including communications from the banking, financial services and insurance sectors and government-to-citizen communications. Calls from the 140 series are pre-verified against customer preferences before delivery.
AI-based systems deployed by telecom service providers flagged 22.99 billion incoming calls and 1.44 billion incoming SMS messages as suspected spam during the quarter. The systems analyse calling patterns to identify suspected spam, while warning notifications are issued to entities suspected of sending spam. Over 2.43 lakh warning notifications were issued after the system began sending such alerts on June 23.
TRAI said the measures are aimed at strengthening enforcement, improving transparency and enabling consumers to better identify, control and avoid unsolicited or potentially fraudulent communications.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The DND app has been a lifesaver honestly. I registered all my preferences and now I rarely get those annoying calls from insurance agents. But my parents still get calls because they haven't registered. TRAI should make it easier for older people - maybe auto-register everyone by default and let people opt out if they actually want marketing calls? Just a thought.
As someone who relocated to India for work, I can say the spam call situation here was worse than anywhere I've lived. The 1.5 complaints per million calls might sound low, but when you consider the sheer volume of calls being made (730 billion!), it's still a massive problem. Good to see the AI systems flagging suspicious patterns - that's the future.
I appreciate the effort but 1.12 billion subscribers not registered on DND is concerning. Most people don't even know this exists! TRAI needs to run awareness campaigns in regional languages, not just English and Hindi. My maid and driver have no idea about the 1909 number or the app. The regulation only helps if people know about it.
The 1600xx series for banking and govt calls is interesting but I worry about confusion. Scammers are getting smarter - they'll probably start spoofing these numbers too. Remember how people were getting fake KYC calls from "banks"? The AI systems help but the real solution is stricter verification at the point of SIM card issuance. Also, why are repeat offenders only getting disconnected for a year? Should be permanent ban for the bad actors.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.