To provide flexibility to a customer to change their preference, the existing restriction of three months has been reduced to seven days
Telephone users will finally get relief from pesky calls and text messages from September 27.
All those subscribers who have registered with the National Customer Preference Registry, earlier known as 'Do Not Call Registry', would get relief from all commercial communications, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said.
"...relevant clauses of regulations have been amended and the regulations are being implemented from September 27," it said in a statement. India has over 850 million mobile and over 34 million fixed line subscribers.
"DoT has provided '140' number series to be allocated to telemarketers. Access Providers (operators) have to make relevant provisions in their network before allocation of resources to telemarketers using '140' number series from mobile and fixed line networks," TRAI said.
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said that all service providers are ready to implement the revised guidelines on mobile networks as per the deadline given by the TRAI, but it will be a big challenge on landline phones.
"...Working hard to implement on the landline. Operators will have to add '140' before the STD code, so it may take little longer in this case due to challenges in implementing the new numbering plan with BSNL landline services," COAI Director General Rajan Mathews told PTI.
Last year, the regulator had announced recommendations to curb the menace of such calls and SMSes, but the guidelines could not be implemented in the absence of an identified number series, first in case of commercial calls coming from mobile networks and then in landline phones. .
State-owned MTNL, which offers telecom services in Delhi and Mumbai, said it will comply with the revised TRAI's regulations on unsolicited commercial communications. "We will meet the regulations," MTNL Chairman and Managing Director Kuldeep Singh said.
TRAI had last year recommended a maximum fine of Rs 2.5 lakh on telemarketing companies for making unsolicited calls or SMSes to a consumer registered under the NCPR -- a modified version of TRAI's 'Do Not Call Registry' list.
Subscribers have the option of choosing to be under the 'Fully Blocked' category, which is akin to the 'Do Not Call Registry'. If a user select the 'Partially Blocked' category, they will receive SMSes in categories chosen by them.
TRAI has identified eight categories -- banking and financial products, real estate, education, health, consumer goods, automobiles, communication and entertainment, tourism and leisure. Further, the regulator has reduced the periodicity for subscriber to change their preference in NCPR to seven days from three months.
"In order to provide flexibility to a customer to change his preference, the existing restriction of three months has been reduced to seven days," TRAI said. BSNL officials were not immediately available for the comment. Sources, however, said that the PSU would be in position to meet the deadline of TRAI.
TRAI also said that every operator shall withdraw all resources allocated to a telemarketer before September 26, except those telecom resources which have been allocated in accordance with the provisions of the regulations.
No access provider (operators) shall permit sending of more than 100 SMSes per day per SIM. While, in case of post-paid telephone number, the access provider shall not permit more than 3,000 SMSes per SIM per month.
For registering under fully blocked list through SMS, a customer will have to SMS 'START 0' to 1909 and for partially blocked list, the short codes can be chosen from the list.
'START 1' for receiving SMS relating to banking, insurance, financial products, credit cards; 'START 2' for real estate, 'START 3' for education, 'START 4' for health, 'START 5' for consumer goods and automobiles, 'START 6' for communication, broadcasting, entertainment and IT, and 'START 7' for receiving SMS relating to tourism and leisure.
A customer can also choose multiple preferences from categories of preference by sending SMS like 'START 1,2' and so on, based on their preference. Customers will also have the option to call 1909 and select category either through IVRS or by speaking to the customer care executive.
