New Delhi: With a view to curb unsolicited telemarketing calls and spam messages the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today notified Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulation, 2018. The regulation has been prepared after thorough consultation with all the stake holders. As per the new regulation, no telemarketing call can be made without the consent of the subscribers. Violation of these rules may attract fines from Rs. 1000 to Rs. 50 lakh.
1.Registration of senders (businesses and telemarketers)
Through an easy registration processes, the business will be able assert their identity and build trust of the clients. This diminishes the ability of unknown entities reaching their customers with calls and messages that are fraudulent or otherwise of dubious nature.
2.Registration of Headers
Using headers intelligently to segregate different types of messages, businesses shall be able to help their clients manage, delete or store communications related to OTP’s, balance enquires, flight alerts, special offers, etc.
3.Registration of subscribers’ consent
Unscrupulous telemarketers today override the stated preference of the subscriber by claiming consent that may have been surreptitiously obtained. New regulations provide the subscriber with complete control over their consent and the ability to revoke the consent already granted, at their option. A major abuse of the current regulations would thus be stopped.
4. Message template
The concept of registered templates for both SMS and voice communication has been introduced to prevent deliberate mixing of promotional messages into the transactional stream. This will give relief to subscribers who feel targeted by unwanted communication today.
5.Fine-grained control over preferences
New regulations provide for fine-grained control over preferences, including such options as the time window in which to allow specific types of unsolicited communication.