TRAI scores a biggie with ban on unwanted calls and SMS

Coming down heavily on the then common spate of unwanted calls and SMSes has been one of TRAI's most profound moves. The regulatory body's The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2010, which came into being from December 1st, 2010, had its regulations implemented only post September, last year and as of March 29, 2012, TRAI has had a victorious march. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had among other provisions, allowed customers who did not wish to receive unsolicited commercial calls and SMSes to register their preferences under what it referred to as the National Customer Preference Register (NCPR). Little did the body know the response it was to get from customers, who quite understandably were miffed with an endless stream of unwanted commercial calls and SMSes, citing promotional offers, new schemes, among others things. Now, in an official release, TRAI has let the numbers talk. The official statement details that as of March 29, 2012, a total of 161.66 million customers have registered their preference on NCPR.

Letting the numbers speak! (Image credit: Getty Images)

Additionally, TRAI had affirmed that those who sent such unsolicited commercial calls and SMSes from their individual numbers, would be served with a notice and the number would be disconnected on second violation. This move, too got TRAI good numbers. Quoting from the official statement, "Accordingly, after implementation of regulations on 27thSeptember 2011, 36156 subscribers have been issued notices and 22769 subscribers have been disconnected. In case of telemarketers, in 94 cases telemarketers have been penalized. Also, 4 telemarketers  have been blacklisted." Moreover, registered subscribers who're still receiving such unwanted commercial calls and SMSes can now lodge a complaint by dialing or sending an SMS to 1909.

Tightening the noose around the ongoing spate of unwanted commercial calls and SMSes, smooth adoption of mobile number portability, transparent functioning, more visibility of services to prepaid customers, among others have been the several issues picked up by the TRAI. The body, over the past year has been looking at radically changing the way services are being doled out to the customers, and with such numbers, it surely does seem that things are going their way.