TRAI Meeting with Financial Regulators and Telecom Providers to Enhance Consumer Protection

TRAI also discussed the migration of the 140 series, currently used for promotional purposes, to the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) platform.

On June 14, 2024, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) convened a pivotal meeting attended by representatives from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), more than 25 banks and other financial institutions, members of the Association of National Exchanges Members of India (ANMI), and all major telecom service providers.

Exclusive 160 Series for Transactional and Service Calls: A significant outcome of the meeting was the allocation of the 160 series, exclusively for transactional and service voice calls, based on TRAI's recommendations. Initially, this series is designated for entities regulated by RBI, SEBI, IRDAI, and PFRDA. The implementation of this series aims to enhance the identification of calling entities, thereby protecting citizens from fraudsters. Discussions focused on the effective utilization of this series and its potential to reduce fraudulent calls.

Migration and Digital Consent: TRAI also discussed the migration of the 140 series, currently used for promotional purposes, to the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) platform. This shift, along with the operationalization of digital consent scrubbing, is expected to substantially control spam calls from 10-digit numbers. The Digital Consent Facility (DCA) established under TRAI’s TCCCPR-2018 Regulations was highlighted. This facility allows the acquisition of digital consent from customers, enabling banks, insurance companies, and other entities to send promotional communications via SMS and voice, regardless of the customer's Do Not Disturb (DND) status.

Sender Obligations and Collaboration: The meeting also addressed the roles and obligations of senders, such as banks and insurance companies, under TRAI regulations. Key points included the whitelisting of URLs/Apks in content templates, the use of a minimal number of headers and content templates, and immediate action against entities or telemarketers in case of misuse of sender credentials.

Unified Effort to Combat Spam: All participants, including regulators, banks, and financial institutions, emphasized the importance of a collaborative approach to curb spam, particularly through voice calls. They assured full cooperation in implementing TRAI’s initiatives in a timely manner.

 

This meeting marks a significant step towards strengthening consumer protection and reducing spam calls through coordinated efforts among financial regulators, institutions, and telecom service providers. The implementation of the 160 series and enhanced digital consent mechanisms are expected to play a crucial role in this endeavor, aligning with TRAI's ongoing commitment to safeguard consumer interests in the digital age.