Trai’s blockchain solution to tackle pesky calls, messages runs into legal hurdle

New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (Trai) ambitious plan to deploy the world’s largest blockchain use-case in the telecom sector to curb the menace of spam messages faces a legal hurdle, following protests by telemarketers.

One such telemarketer, Venets Media, has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court, alleging that Trai’s move is “detrimental to free, fair commerce & competition, regulatory ethics, and also the arm’s length principle.” It added that software company Tanla Solutions – an implementing partner of the distributed ledger technology (DLT) for Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. – is itself a telemarketer, thus raising conflict of interest issues.