Telecom regulator slaps Rs 2.8 crore penalty on Bharti Airtel over unsolicited calls

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRA) on Wednesday imposed a penalty of Rs 2.8 crore on Bharti Airtel for failure to comply with norms regarding the systematic prevention of unsolicited calls. 

In a regulatory filing post-market hours on Wednesday, the private sector telecommunications company said the fine was over its alleged failure to curb the unsolicited commercial communications (UCC) sent through its network as required under the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018, for the quarter ended December 2021.

Bharti Airtel said it was reviewing the telecom regulator's order and evaluating the next steps in the matter. 

Telecom regulator TRAI defines commercial communication as any voice call or message using telecom services to inform about, advertise, or solicit business for goods or services, a supplier or prospective supplier of offered goods or services, a business or investment opportunity, or a provider or prospective provider of such an opportunity. 

Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel added more than 15 lakh wireless subscribers to its network in July, taking its total subscribers to 37.5 crore, according to TRAI data released this week. Bharti Airtel's market shares increased to 32.74 per cent in July from 32.68 per cent in the previous month, according to the data.

The country's telecom industry added 27 lakh mobile users in July, the highest in 13 months, according to TRAI. 

In a separate development, the regulator recently released Draft Telecommunication Mobile Number Portability (Ninth Amendment) Regulations, 2023, seeking comments from stakeholders through its portal, trai.gov.in. The norms lay down the regulatory framework for mobile number portability (MNP) in the country. 

TRAI has urged all stakeholders to share their comments on the draft amendments by October 25.

The ninth batch of amendments is based on certain suggestions of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), under the Ministry of Communications, about the regulatory framework for mobile number portability.