TRAI for no pesky calls; DoT up for releasing specific number -Governance Now

TRAI for no pesky calls; DoT up for releasing specific number

Since December 2010, the regulator missed two deadlines it had set for implementing the guidelines

PTI | June 23, 2011

Telecom operators are ready to provide relief to consumers from pesky calls and messages, but are waiting for the Department of Telecom (DoT) to release identified landline number series to tele-marketing firms, says TRAI.

"We have written approvals from both public and private telecom operators of their willingness to implement our guidelines," a Trai source said.
After deliberations with telecom operators, DoT is working on a new number series for landline connections.

Earlier, on a request from TRAI, the DoT had issued a number series starting with '140' to tele-marketing companies for mobile phone numbers.
Last December, TRAI had come out with recommendations, 'The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2010' to curb the menace of pesky calls and SMSes.

Since then the regulator has missed two deadlines it had set for implementing the guidelines in view of the absence of identified number series.
Trai had recommended a maximum fine of Rs 2.5 lakh on tele-marketing companies for making unsolicited calls or SMSes to a consumer registered under national customer preference register -- a modified version of TRAI's Do Not Call Registry list.

The source further added,"It will take at least four to six weeks from the date DoT provides us the number series. We expect that by June end DoT will provide us with the number series."

The subscriber may choose to be under the 'Fully Blocked' category which is akin to the 'Do Not Call Registry'. The user can also choose the 'Partially
Blocked' category, in which case he will receive SMSes in the categories chosen by him.

TRAI had identified seven categories-- banking and financial products, real estate, education, health, consumer goods, automobiles, communication and entertainment, tourism and leisure.

In case of violations, as per the revised guidelines, the telemarketers will have to pay a fine of Rs 25,000 for the first offence which will go up to Rs
75,000 in case of a second violation, Rs 80,000 for the third, Rs 1.25 lakh for the fourth, Rs 1.50 lakh for the fifth and Rs 2.5 lakh for the sixth offence, following which the number will be blocked by all service providers.

Comments

Other News

How the mind can help the body heal itself

Why do some people recover from illness against all odds? Can our beliefs, emotions and consciousness influence the body’s ability to heal? Drawing on over three decades of experience in medicine, research and medical innovation, internationally trained ophthalmologist and author Dr Dinesh Verma ex

1,364 anti-cancer formulations to cost less from today

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, has capped trade margins on the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of 137 anti-cancer drugs. This was based on the recommendations of an Expert Committee constitute

Who checks the books?

I read about the news about the Coimbatore library over coffee this morning. On the face of it, the headline was about a political ‘war’ between the DMK and TVK. But what stayed with me was something much more important than the blame game behind what had transpired. A writer walking through

Development paradox: Falling poverty miracle and an inequality problem

India’s reduction in poverty over the past decade is a development achievement of considerable significance. The World Bank’s April 2026 ‘India Development Update’ estimates that the share of Indians living below the international extreme-poverty line of $3.00 per person per day i

In Arunachal, a river we call mother

In Arunachal Pradesh, the Siang is not just a river. For many of us, especially the Adi people, it is part of our family. Our grandparents fished in it. Children learned to swim in it. Our farms drink from it. When someone says a huge dam will be built on it, we do not hear the word "project".

A new retelling of the Mahabharata delves into key moments

In a time when every decision carries consequences and questions of ambition, power, loyalty, identity and moral choice continue to shape our lives, Dr. Arun Krishnan’s new book, ‘Mahakshana’ (Penguin India) offers a strikingly relevant retelling of the Mahabharata.