The central government has warned telecom companies of a fine of up to ₹10 lakh for failing to prevent unsolicited commercial communication (UCC) and spam SMS. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has amended the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR), 2018, adding new provisions to curb the misuse of telecom resources.
According to TRAI, telecom providers failing to prevent spam will face penalties: ₹2 lakh for the first violation, ₹5 lakh for the second, and ₹10 lakh for the third offense. The penalties will apply to both registered and unregistered senders.
Under the new regulations, complaints will be considered valid if they include details such as the sender’s number, date, and message content. Consumers can now report spam calls and SMS even without registering their preferences.
The Telecom Ministry clarified that the revisions aim to promote legitimate commercial communication while protecting consumer interests. Companies must now strictly comply with rules regarding message headers and content templates.
