TRAI Introduces New Directives to Combat Misuse of Messaging Services and Protect Consumers

New Delhi, 20th August 2024: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued new directives aimed at curbing the misuse of messaging services and protecting consumers from fraudulent activities. As part of these new measures, TRAI has outlined several key actions that Access Service Providers must implement.

Firstly, TRAI has ordered that all telemarketing calls currently using the 140 series must be migrated to the online Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) platform by 30th September 2024. This shift is intended to enhance monitoring and control over telemarketing activities.

Beginning 1st September 2024, Access Service Providers will also be prohibited from transmitting messages that contain URLs, APKs, OTT links, or callback numbers unless these elements have been pre-approved and whitelisted by the senders.

To further improve message traceability, TRAI has mandated that, starting from 1st November 2024, the entire trail of messages from senders to recipients must be traceable. Any message that lacks a clearly defined or matching telemarketer chain will be automatically rejected.

TRAI has also introduced strict penalties to prevent the misuse of content templates for promotional messages. Content templates that are registered under incorrect categories will be blacklisted, and repeated violations will result in a one-month suspension of the sender’s services.

In addition, TRAI has stipulated that all headers and content templates registered on the DLT platform must comply with established guidelines. A single content template will no longer be permitted to be linked to multiple headers.

If any misuse of headers or content templates is detected, TRAI has directed that all messaging traffic from the concerned sender be immediately suspended pending verification. Traffic will only be reinstated after the sender has taken appropriate legal action against the misuse. Furthermore, delivery telemarketers are required to identify and report the entities responsible for such misuse within two business days. Failure to do so will result in similar penalties.

Stakeholders and the public are encouraged to refer to the full text of the directive available on the TRAI website at www.trai.gov.in.

These measures are part of TRAI’s ongoing efforts to maintain a clean and secure messaging environment, protecting consumer rights and preventing fraudulent practices.