TRAI Implements New Rules to Curb Spam Calls

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has implemented the Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2026, to combat unsolicited commercial communications (UCC). The rules target Application-to-Person (A2P) calls, such as robocalls and AI-generated synthetic voices, requiring entities to pre-declare their use and calling line identifications. Undeclared A2P calls will be treated as spam and may incur a termination charge of up to 0.05 rupees per minute, paid by the originating access provider to the terminating provider.

To enhance detection, TRAI is deploying AI and machine learning tools. Providers may initiate KYC re-verification or disconnect services if five or more numbers from a single sender are flagged within 10 days. Additionally, commercial follow-ups following consumer inquiries are now limited to seven days.

The regulations also target call-management applications like Truecaller, prohibiting them from blanket-blocking designated 140, 1600, and 1601 numbering series. These apps must now transmit user spam and junk complaint logs to a blockchain-based Distributed Ledger Technology platform operated by telecom providers. Truecaller has criticized these data-sharing requirements as anti-competitive and a one-way exchange of proprietary crowdsourced data.