Latest news with #TCCCPR
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Trai's new proposal may help check spam as it complements data protection laws
Agencies The country's new data protection law and its mandate on consent management may well be the much-needed impetus for enterprises to take anti-spam regulations seriously henceforth Mumbai: The telecom regulator's latest move to refresh its consent handling mechanism for checking spam messages and calls may have some overlaps with the country's new data protection law but isn't in conflict with it, officials welcomed the move, saying harmonising the two sets of regulations is crucial to check spam as it will make it easier for stakeholders to implement the week, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) opened a pilot for banks and telecom companies to test a solution for gathering and managing user approved solution after testing will allow telcos to verify consumer consent in real time before connecting or delivering commercial calls and messages. The move comes as the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCPR), first introduced in 2018, has failed to deliver results in preventing spam – largely due to lack of coordination among telcos, price-wars, and non-seriousness among enterprises, according to experts. The country's new data protection law and its mandate on consent management may well be the much-needed impetus for enterprises to take anti-spam regulations seriously henceforth, they said.'We have tried to devise a framework to validate the current operational, technical and regulatory aspects of consent registration, and lay the foundation for sector-wise scaling,' a senior Trai official told ET on condition of anonymity.'Yes, there are overlaps between the two legislations. But those aren't conflicts,' he said. 'For instance, TRAI aims to curtail the practice of collecting mobile numbers through unauthorised data-sharing practice, which ultimately leads to marketing spam. This is also a basic principle of the data protection law.'He called on telcos to develop a solution which is both consumer- and Misra, partner at law firm Spice Route Legal, said without harmonisation, businesses will struggle with implementing two distinct consent regimes under these laws.'Multiple frameworks increase the risk of consumer drop-off and consent fatigue among users. Combining these frameworks would lend legal clarity, operational efficiency, and better outcomes,' she Route Legal specialises in data said the original TCCCPR, which hinged on a robust consent mechanism that allows phone users to control what messages they wish to receive, failed because of a gap in enforcement and industry adoption.'Most businesses lacked robust consent management frameworks or the technological capability to operationalise consent at scale. This has resulted in fragmented processes that are difficult to implement,' she said.'If the new pilot can simplify integration, ensure interoperability, and provide a standardised infrastructure that businesses can easily plug into…it may just overcome the friction,' she businesses will face initial costs while adapting and upgrading their systems, Misra said. The Cellular Operators Authority of India (COAI), which represents all three private telcos, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, agreed that there have been challenges in adoption of existing consent framework and the latest directive empowers the consumers with a uniform consent revocation process. 'However, the adoption may differ from sector to sector, as each sector has its own unique way of functioning,' said SP Kochhar, director general of COAI. 'This initiative will serve as a test bed to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the system, and it is expected to yield positive results.'Telecom companies also noted that the consent framework currently applies to only SMS and voice communications but will be incomplete until OTT platforms are brought under regulatory purview. 'This regulatory gap is increasingly exploited, with a growing share of scams and unsolicited promotions now originating on OTT apps,' Kochhar said.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Trai's new proposal may help check spam as it complements data protection laws
Mumbai: The telecom regulator's latest move to refresh its consent handling mechanism for checking spam messages and calls may have some overlaps with the country's new data protection law but isn't in conflict with it, officials said. Experts welcomed the move, saying harmonising the two sets of regulations is crucial to check spam as it will make it easier for stakeholders to implement the rules. Last week, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) opened a pilot for banks and telecom companies to test a solution for gathering and managing user consent. The approved solution after testing will allow telcos to verify consumer consent in real time before connecting or delivering commercial calls and messages. The move comes as the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations ( TCCPR ), first introduced in 2018, has failed to deliver results in preventing spam – largely due to lack of coordination among telcos, price-wars, and non-seriousness among enterprises, according to experts. The country's new data protection law and its mandate on consent management may well be the much-needed impetus for enterprises to take anti-spam regulations seriously henceforth, they said. 'We have tried to devise a framework to validate the current operational, technical and regulatory aspects of consent registration, and lay the foundation for sector-wise scaling,' a senior Trai official told ET on condition of anonymity. 'Yes, there are overlaps between the two legislations. But those aren't conflicts,' he said. 'For instance, TRAI aims to curtail the practice of collecting mobile numbers through unauthorised data-sharing practice, which ultimately leads to marketing spam. This is also a basic principle of the data protection law.' He called on telcos to develop a solution which is both consumer- and business-friendly. Aadya Misra, partner at law firm Spice Route Legal, said without harmonisation, businesses will struggle with implementing two distinct consent regimes under these laws. 'Multiple frameworks increase the risk of consumer drop-off and consent fatigue among users. Combining these frameworks would lend legal clarity, operational efficiency, and better outcomes,' she said. Spice Route Legal specialises in data advisory. Misra said the original TCCCPR, which hinged on a robust consent mechanism that allows phone users to control what messages they wish to receive, failed because of a gap in enforcement and industry adoption. 'Most businesses lacked robust consent management frameworks or the technological capability to operationalise consent at scale. This has resulted in fragmented processes that are difficult to implement,' she said. 'If the new pilot can simplify integration, ensure interoperability, and provide a standardised infrastructure that businesses can easily plug into…it may just overcome the friction,' she added. However, businesses will face initial costs while adapting and upgrading their systems, Misra said. The Cellular Operators Authority of India (COAI), which represents all three private telcos, Reliance Jio , Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea , agreed that there have been challenges in adoption of existing consent framework and the latest directive empowers the consumers with a uniform consent revocation process. 'However, the adoption may differ from sector to sector, as each sector has its own unique way of functioning,' said SP Kochhar, director general of COAI. 'This initiative will serve as a test bed to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the system, and it is expected to yield positive results.' Telecom companies also noted that the consent framework currently applies to only SMS and voice communications but will be incomplete until OTT platforms are brought under regulatory purview. 'This regulatory gap is increasingly exploited, with a growing share of scams and unsolicited promotions now originating on OTT apps,' Kochhar said.
United News of India
17-06-2025
- Business
- United News of India
TRAI ties up with RBI, banks to launch pilot project for digital consent management
Hyderabad/New Delhi, June 17 (UNI) The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday announced the launch of a pilot project for Digital Consent Management in collaboration with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and banks . In a release, TRAI said it has observed that a large number of spam complaints are made by the customers against the business entities from whom the consumers have earlier purchased goods or services. On investigation, such business entities often claim that they possess the consent of the consumer for receiving commercial calls and messages. Under the regulatory framework defined by the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR), 2018, an entity can make commercial communications to a consumer irrespective of his/her Do Not Disturb (DND) preferences provided the entity has taken explicit consent from the consumer. However, in many cases, these consents were collected through offline or unverifiable means, making it extremely difficult to ascertain their validity and genuineness. In several instances, consumers report that their mobile numbers have been acquired by the entities for this purpose through misrepresentation, deception, or unauthorized data-sharing practices. TRAI has undertaken several innovative regulatory measures in recent years to curb such practices. To address the issue, the regulations provide for acquiring consent digitally by the entities and registering them in a secure and interoperable digital consent registry maintained by the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) for easy verification of consents while commercial communication is made to the consumers. However, for successful operation of this consent registration framework, onboarding of entities sending commercial communications is a necessary requirement. To begin the national roll-out, TRAI has launched a pilot project in coordination with the RBI involving select banks and has issued a Direction recently to all the Telecom Service Providers, mandating them to pilot this framework in collaboration with banks. Given the sensitivity of banking transactions and cases of financial frauds through spam calls, the banking sector has been prioritized for the first phase of implementation. This pilot, running under a Regulatory Sandbox framework, will validate the operational, technical, and regulatory aspects of the enhanced Consent Registration Function (CRF) and lay the foundation for sector-wise scaling of the digital consent ecosystem. UNI KNR PRS
India Gazette
16-06-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
TRAI launches pilot project for Digital Consent Management, aiming to curb spam
New Delhi [India], June 16 (ANI): Having observed that a large number of spam complaints are made by the customers against the business entities from whom the consumers have earlier purchased goods or services, TRAI has launched a pilot project for Digital Consent Management in partnership with RBI and banks. On investigation of spam, TRAI came to the conclusion that such business entities often claim that they possess the consent of the consumer for receiving commercial calls and messages. Under the regulatory framework defined by the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR), 2018, an entity can make commercial communications to a consumer irrespective of his/her Do Not Disturb (DND) preferences provided the entity has taken explicit consent from the consumer. However, in many cases, these consents were collected through offline or unverifiable means, making it extremely difficult to ascertain their validity and genuineness, TRAI said in a statement Monday.. In several instances, consumers report that their mobile numbers have been acquired by the entities for this purpose through misrepresentation, deception, or unauthorised data-sharing practices. TRAI has undertaken several innovative regulatory measures in recent years to curb such practices. These include allowing consumers to register complaints against unregistered telemarketers (UTMs) even without prior DND registration, and initiating large-scale disconnection of telecom resources being misused by the entities for spamming activities. However, verification of consent for commercial communication citing offline consent of consumer remains a formidable challenge. To address the issue, the regulations provide for acquiring consent digitally by the entities and registering them in a secure and interoperable digital consent registry maintained by the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) for easy verification of consents while commercial communication is made to the consumers. However, for the successful operation of this consent registration framework, onboarding of entities sending commercial communications is a necessary requirement. Accordingly, to begin the national roll-out, TRAI has launched a Pilot Project in coordination with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) involving select banks and has issued a Direction on 13th June, 2025, to all the Telecom Service Providers, mandating them to pilot this framework in collaboration with banks. Given the sensitivity of banking transactions and cases of financial frauds through spam calls, the banking sector has been prioritised for the first phase of implementation. This Pilot, running under a Regulatory Sandbox framework, will validate the operational, technical, and regulatory aspects of the enhanced Consent Registration Function (CRF) and lay the foundation for sector-wise scaling of the digital consent ecosystem. TRAI said it remains committed to safeguarding consumer interests and enhancing trust in legitimate commercial communications. The Authority said it will continue to work with sectoral regulators and stakeholders to ensure that the ecosystem evolves towards more secure, transparent, and consumer-centric practices. (ANI)
Time of India
02-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Consumer interest at the forefront of TRAI's amended TCCCPR
In a bid to further safeguard consumers, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India ( TRAI ) has announced significant changes to the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018 (TCCCPR) through the Second Amendment Regulations, 2025. The reforms aim to strengthen consumer protection against Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC), streamline the complaint redressal mechanism, and plug regulatory gaps that have allowed telemarketing misuse in the past. Key Focus: Empowering Consumers in a Digital-First Era At the core of these amendments lies enhanced consumer autonomy. A landmark shift is the removal of mandatory preference registration for filing spam complaints. Now, consumers can report UCC against a very simple process, where they only provide some basic details such as their number, sender's number, date of receipt, and a short description of the message. It's worth noting that the complaint window has also been extended from 3 to 7 days, this will provide more time to consumers for acting. Access providers (APs) must now act within 5 days, down from 30, making the redressal process significantly more responsive. Repeat violations by senders can result in blacklisting, telecom service disconnection for up to a year, and even device blocking—a major deterrent to habitual spammers. Moreover, consumers no longer need to navigate a separate preference management system. All promotional communications must now include a clear opt-out mechanism, ensuring control lies with the recipient at every stage. New Safeguards Around Consent Further ensuring the power remains with the consumer, the amendments introduce consent expiry timelines, addressing the misuse of outdated permissions. Consent for one-time transactions lapses in 7 days, and service-related communications are valid only during the contract period. Post opt-out, a cooling period of 90 days prevents senders from soliciting renewed consent, although consumers can voluntarily opt-in again. Furthermore, disclosures around automated tools like auto-diallers and robocalls are now mandatory, ensuring transparency. Message headers are now standardised with suffixes like '-P' for promotional, '-S' for service, '-T' for transactional, and '-G' for government, giving consumers clear visibility on the nature of incoming communications. Strengthening the Commercial Communications Ecosystem To deter fraudulent actors and strengthen regulatory oversight, TRAI has also focused on ecosystem-level interventions. Access providers are now obligated to monitor suspicious patterns using tools like: Pattern analysis based on call volumes and ratiosHoneypot numbers to detect emerging UCC trendsBiometric authentication and physical verification of telemarketers The updated norms restrict the use of regular 10-digit numbers for commercial messages. Instead, communications must come from designated series—140-series for promotional calls and a new 1600-series for transactional and service calls—enabling consumers to distinguish between genuine and fraudulent messages more easily. To enhance traceability, intermediary layers between Principal Entities and telemarketers have been restricted, ensuring a clear accountability trail. All senders must now self-certify registration data annually, and any unused or fraudulent headers are subject to immediate deletion and action. Holding Access Providers Accountable Moving to the other side of the spectrum, the repercussions are now severe for APs and scammers. Access Providers now play a frontline role in enforcement. Penalties for non-compliance are stringent, with fines of: ₹2 lakh for a first violation₹5 lakh for a second₹10 lakh for further breaches APs are also empowered to collect security deposits from telemarketers, which are forfeited upon violations, further tightening compliance. Importantly, penalties apply not just to spam-senders, but also to misreporting of complaints, invalid closures, and non-compliance with header and template registration norms by APs. Challenges in Implementation Despite the comprehensive nature of the amendments, the implementation is currently faced with hurdles: Digital Literacy: Many consumers may still be unaware of their rights or lack the digital literacy to navigate complaint platforms efficiently. Inter-Operator Coordination: Blacklisting and service disconnections require seamless cooperation between multiple access providers and regulators. Consent Platform Onboarding: Bringing all senders—especially in the government and financial sectors—onto the digital consent acquisition system will demand extensive alignment. AI-based Spam Evasion: Spammers increasingly use AI-driven tactics to evade detection. While pattern recognition systems and honeypots offer strong defence, AI-based detection and filtering systems will need to evolve in parallel. A joint committee of sectoral regulators is already working on implementation strategies for the 1600-series, and on enhancing the digital consent acquisition framework. Their efforts also include blocking fraudulent IMEIs, eliminating unused headers, and detecting scam behaviour early on. The Road Ahead TRAI's 2025 amendments are a progressive evolution of its 2018 regulatory framework. By simplifying complaint procedures, enhancing transparency, enforcing stricter penalties, and holding telecom players accountable, the amendments place consumer rights at the centre of India's communications ecosystem. However, the efficacy of these reforms will ultimately depend on how efficiently the ecosystem adapts—from awareness-building campaigns and real-time monitoring, to embracing AI-powered enforcement that can evolve as quickly as the spam tactics it seeks to counter. As the battle against UCC continues, TRAI's amended TCCCPR serve as a timely and robust reset, reminding stakeholders that responsible communication and consumer consent must remain non-negotiable pillars of India's digital future. (DISCLAIMER: Views expressed are the author's personal.)
