Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has made its rules more stringent to curb unwanted commercial communication i.e. spam calls. The new rules include the use of AI-based technology to identify suspected spam activities, new provisions for automated commercial calls and termination charges on certain A2P calls.
Apart from this, telecom companies will have to share information about numbers associated with suspected spam with each other. Additional investigation may also be conducted if complaints or spam activity are received against multiple numbers associated with the same sender.
Spam numbers will be identified with the help of AI
Under TRAI’s new framework, telecom operators will use AI-based methods to identify numbers that are more prone to spam activity. Information related to such numbers will also be shared with other telecom operators.
If 5 or more numbers associated with a sender are flagged as suspected spam activity within 10 days, operators can initiate KYC re-verification and physical verification. If necessary, outgoing services of such sender can be blocked. If the rules are violated repeatedly, the connection may also be disconnected.
New rules for automated commercial calls also
TRAI has also changed the rules regarding Application-to-Person (A2P) calls. A2P calls are calls that are made through an application, software system or automated platform and do not involve a person dialing the number directly. This includes autodialed calls, robocalls, pre-recorded messages, and calls that use artificial or recorded voices.
Now businesses and other organizations using such A2P calling system will have to inform their telecom provider about this service. Besides, the numbers used for these calls will also have to be mentioned. If an entity does not declare A2P calls, TRAI may treat them as Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC).
A2P calls will be charged up to 5 paise per minute
Under the new rules, termination charges of up to 5 paise per minute may be imposed on some A2P calls. However, calls made from numbering series designated for regulated commercial communication will be exempted from this charge. This charge will not be applicable even on calls specifically authorized by TRAI.
Customers will get the right to appeal
The revised anti-spam framework also includes an appeal mechanism for customers and related parties. That means the option to appeal against some actions taken under the rules will be available. TRAI has also added additional safeguards to prevent misuse of commercial headers and content templates.
New restrictions on call-management apps too
The new rules will also affect call-management apps. Such apps will have to follow the new rules while handling calls coming from the prescribed numbering series. Call-management apps will no longer be able to collectively block, filter, or label calls from the 140xx, 1600xx, and 1601xx numbering series as spam.