New Delhi: To curb spam calls and messages, telecom service providers have blocked over 50 entities and disconnected over 2.75 lakh mobile numbers and other telecom resource connections of consumers, the government said on Tuesday.
Last month, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had given strict instructions to all telecom service providers to immediately stop promotional voice calls from unregistered senders or telemarketers. After this, the telecom companies have taken this step.
TRAI said, “Access providers have taken strict action against misuse of telecom resources for spamming and have blacklisted more than 50 entities and disconnected more than 2.75 lakh SIP DIDsmobile numberstelecom resources.”
The telecom regulator said these measures are expected to have a significant impact in reducing spam calls and provide relief to consumers.
TRAI urged all stakeholders to follow the directions and contribute to a cleaner and more efficient telecom ecosystem.
“Any unregistered telemarketer found misusing these resources will be subjected to severe consequences, including disconnection and blacklisting of all telecom resources for a period of up to two years,” it said.
TRAI observed a significant rise in spam calls in the JanuaryJune period, with over 7.9 lakh complaints filed against unregistered telemarketers (UTMs).
Meanwhile, the regulator has given a month's extension to access service providers to comply with its directive regarding whitelisting of URLs, APKs and OTT links. TRAI had earlier asked the country's major telecom operators to regulate such messages by September 1.
The move is aimed at curbing the number of spam and phishing attempts by scammers who try to dupe people using the SMS service. The telecom regulator has now directed all access providers to submit an updated status on the action taken within 15 days from the date of issue of this directive and a compliance report within 30 days.
TRAI has also talked about punitive measures in case of noncompliance with the directions. Content templates registered under the wrong category will be blacklisted, and repeat offenders will result in suspension of the sender's services for a month.
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– / Written By Top News Bulletin
Image Credit: KhasKhabar.