TRAI cracks unauthorised telemarketers; directs cos to stop headers misuse

Telecom regulator TRAI on Thursday cracked down on unauthorised, pesky promotional messages by telemarketers as it issued directions to telecom operators to act swiftly to stop the misuse of headers and message templates.

To stop the misuse, the regulator has directed access service providers (telecom operators) to reverify all registered headers and message templates on Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) platform and block all unverified headers and message templates within 30 and 60 days respectively.

Telecom operators have also been asked to ensure that temporary headers are deactivated immediately after the set time duration.