TRAI’s New Rules: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has begun its crackdown on spammers and scammers. As complaints are rising, TRAI has put more stringent regulations under the revised Telecom Commercial Communications Consumer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR) 2018. The new regulations seek to safeguard customers from unwanted commercial communications. The new regulations were released on February 12, 2025, and were confirmed in the Lok Sabha today by the Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development.
TRAI’s New Anti-Spam Rules
The revised rules offer users more flexibility in reporting spam calls and messages. Previously, complaints had to be lodged within three days, but now, users have up to seven days to report such issues.
Besides, enforcement action against spammers will be much faster. Previously, there were 30 days for telecom operators to take action against telemarketers, but now it has been shortened to five days. The system of complaint too has been made more stringent—previously, action was taken only if there were ten complaints in seven days. Now, even five complaints in ten days will lead to enforcement action, so that there are quicker crackdowns against spam operations.
When Will the New Rules Come into Force?
The new rules will come into effect once they are published in the government gazette within 30 days, states the Minister of State. While some provisions will come into effect after 60 days. Even prior to these amendments, TRAI had on August 13, 2024, instructed telecom operators to disconnect the resources employed by illegal telemarketers. This instruction has already demonstrated noteworthy impact in restraining spam messages.
Impact of TRAI’s Action
Between August 2024 and January 2025, there was a clear downfall in spam complaints. Between August 2024 and January 2025, there were around 1,84,419 complaints regarding spam calls and messages, which went down to 1,34,821 by January 2025. More than 1,150 organizations and individuals involved in spamming have been blacklisted by TRAI, and more than 18.8 lakh telecom resources related to the spurious communications have been shut down.