Telecom regulator issues directives to access providers to curb misuse, messaging fraud

To ensure a clean and secure messaging ecosystem, safeguarding consumer interests and preventing fraudulent activities, regulator TRAI has issued directions to access service providers for enforcement.

Through a direction issued today, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has mandated all access service providers to ensure a few guidelines. Lately, so-called promotional messages have to some extent taken the form of menace.

The regulator has mandated the access providers to migrate telemarketing calls starting with 140 series to the online DLT platform by September 30, 2024, for better monitoring and control.

Effective September 1, 2024, all access service providers will be prohibited from transmitting messages containing URLs, APKs, OTT links, or call-back numbers that are not whitelisted by the senders.

To enhance message traceability, TRAI has mandated that the trail of all messages from senders to recipients must be traceable from November 1, 2024. Any message with an undefined or mismatched telemarketer chain will be rejected.

To deter the misuse of templates for promotional content, TRAI has introduced punitive measures for non-compliance. Content Templates registered under the wrong category will be blacklisted, and repeated offenses will lead to a one-month suspension of the sender's services.

To ensure compliance with regulations, all headers and content templates registered on DLT must adhere to prescribed guidelines. Additionally, a single content template cannot be linked to multiple headers.

In case misuse of headers or content templates of any sender comes to the notice, TRAI has directed immediate suspension of traffic from all the headers and content Templates of that sender for their verification. Revocation of traffic from the sender shall be done only after legal action is taken by the Sender against such misuse. Further, Delivery-Telemarketers must identify and report entities responsible for such misuse within two business days, failing which they will face similar consequences.

TRAI said these measures have been taken forward TRAI's initiatives to ensure a clean and secure messaging ecosystem, safeguarding consumer interests and preventing fraudulent activities.