Telecom users today got the much-awaited relief from unsolicited commercial calls and SMSes as the new regulation came into force.

Telecom regulator Trai today said it is also planning to impose five paise termination charge per SMS from October 15 on service providers on whose network commercial SMSes originate, to make it further difficult for those who broadcast millions of SMSes in a day.

"We are actively considering and we are likely to issue a regulation by October 15 to impose five paise termination charge on commercial SMS, and not on general SMS," Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) Chairman J S Sarma said at an event here.

Some operators charge up to 15 paise per SMS as termination fee on mutual agreements but it is not mandatory.

The proposed Trai directive will make it mandatory for all operators to charge termination fee for commercial SMSes, at least.

On Trai's recommendation of limiting 100 SMSes per day per SIM, Sarma said service providers such as dealers of telecom operators, e-ticketing agencies and social networking sites have been exempted from the regulation.

"We have issued a direction exempting certain categories from limitation of 100 SMSes per day. If genuine cases come to us, we will accept their request and exempt from some clauses.

People need to inform us," Sarma said.

He added that on festival days there will be no limitation on the number of SMSes that can be send out from a single SIM.

Meanwhile, the government today launched the 'Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulation', giving people across the country respite from pesky calls and SMS.