New Delhi, December 11 (IANS). Telecom operators are blocking messages that do not have a defined or matching telemarketer series as per the government directive. This step is being taken to ensure ‘spam free communication’.
According to the directive issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on August 20, 2024, all commercial messages sent by Principal Entities (PEs) will now be fully traceable.
Given the extensive preparatory work done by Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) and stakeholders, this proactive measure is expected to minimize customer inconvenience.
According to Lieutenant General Dr SP Kochhar, Director General, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), more than 90 per cent of PEs, which account for the majority of commercial traffic, have successfully got their series registered.
“To minimize any disruption to customers, TSPs introduced PE-TM binding in logger mode from November 1, 2024,” Kochhar said in a statement.
He further explained that during the phase, traffic was not blocked due to hash mismatches or unregistered chains, allowing TSPs to work closely with PE entities and telemarketers to identify and address failures.
COAI Director General said, “The event included various meetings and several webinars, which were attended by thousands of participants from various sectors including BFSI, Insurance, State and Central Government bodies. This facilitated awareness on the chain registration process, hashing function Provided guidance on technical changes and addressed other operational needs.”
The collective effort is a game-changing step towards ensuring traceability and security of commercial messages.
“This initiative will not only protect consumers from fraud and unwanted commercial messages, but will also enhance trust in communication networks,” Kochhar said.
–IANS
SKT/ABM
