TRAI Intensifies Crackdown on Spam Calls, Revises Penalty Structure on Telecom Operators For ‘Misreporting’ Count

New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday intensified its crackdown on pesky calls and messages with new rules that prescribe fines ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. 

The fines have been introduced by the telecom regulator for recurring and repeated instances of violation in cases where telecom operators misreport the count of such spam.

The TRAI in its directive, has mandated all telecom operators to analyze call and SMS patterns based on parameters such as unusually high call volumes, short call durations, and low incoming-to-outgoing call ratios to flag potential spammers in real-time.

As per the latest amendment in the regulation in Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, there is a graded penalty that will be imposed on telecom operators in case they fail to implement the provisions of the rule.

What Are New Fines Imposed By TRAI 

• For first violation, a financial disincentive (FD) of Rs 2 lakh will be imposed
• For the second instance of violation, Rs 5 lakh will be imposed 
• Rs 10 lakh per instance for subsequent violations will be imposed on access providers

In December 2024, TRAI levied fines on telecom operators for inadequate efforts in curbing spam calls and messages. The penalties affected several telecom operators across the country. 

The telecom regulator levied fines of approximately Rs 12 crore, and adding previous penalties, the total amount stands at Rs 141 crore.