Trai tightens anti-spam rules, brings AI-based detection, automated calls under framework

New Delhi: The telecom regulator on Friday tightened anti-spam norms, bringing AI detection of suspected spam numbers into the regulatory ambit, extending oversight to automated and robocalls, and introducing "deterrents" like a termination charge levy in case of Application-to-Person (A2P) calls used for bulk commercial communications.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) rules make it contingent on call management apps to share spam information with telcos if they want to offer a mechanism to their users to report Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC).

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There is a "prohibition" on blanket blocking/tagging of designated number series - 1600/1601 meant for service and transactional calls and 140 series for regulated promotional calls - by call management applications, Trai said, asserting its stance on an issue that had become a flashpoint between the regulator and Truecaller just a few months ago.

Trai said that individual consumers retain full freedom to block or filter calls on their own devices.

The amended rules also provide for a consumer appeal mechanism against complaint resolutions; currently, this avenue is open for issues like bill discrepancies.

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The amended norms permit no more than seven days of follow-up commercial communication to be made when a verifiable customer inquiry is made to a company about its product or service (to prevent misuse of this provision, Trai said the inquiry must be made in writing or through digital means and the sender must retain it in a verifiable form).

The provision is primarily aimed at facilitating communications by e-commerce and e-service platforms, according to Trai.

The regulator has also set out an additional complaint-based trigger - three or more 'unique' complaints in 10 days combined with telcos' AI/ML flag will enable earlier action against suspected spammers.

The AI/ML provisions require telecom service providers to identify sender numbers with a 'high probability' of being used for unsolicited commercial communication and share such information among operators.

Where five or more such numbers are flagged within 10 days, further investigation and graded action can follow, including KYC re-verification, physical verification and, in cases of repeated violations, disconnection of telecom resources.

The provisions of a Trai's February 2026 direction to telcos for using AI/ML-based intelligence for suspected spam crackdown have now been incorporated into the anti-spam rules (Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018 or TCCCPR, 2018).

Certain numbering series, including 140, 1600 and 1601, remain outside the ambit of spam-flagging to ensure legitimate commercial and government communications are not missed by telecom users.

Trai has defined application-to-person (A2P) calls as voice calls initiated by applications, software systems or automated platforms without direct human dialling, including autodialling, robocalls and pre-recorded or artificial voice calls.

Such calls will require mandatory prior declaration to the telecom service provider, including details of the numbers to be used. Undeclared A2P calls will be treated as spam, while a termination charge of up to 5 paise per minute will be levied as a deterrent (calls made through designated numbering series or authorised calls are exempted).

Consumers will now have the option to appeal against the resolution of a spam-related complaint, with an appeal to be filed within 15 days of the complaint being resolved.

Such appeals will be handled by the Appellate Authority under the Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal Regulations 2012. The appeal can be filed through the existing channels used for spam complaints, including the TRAI's 'do-not-disturb' app, telecom service provider apps or portals and 1909, as well as other modes available under the consumer complaint framework.

The amendments broaden the definition of consent to recognise certain legacy consents that entities may already have from customers. Such existing consents can be recognised and digitised under the amended framework, but they must have been obtained through verifiable means and registered on the telecom service provider's digital platform to be treated as valid.

The amended rules prescribe quicker action against misuse of registered headers and content templates, too. An originating access provider must suspend a misused header or template within six hours of becoming aware of the misuse and issue notice to the concerned sender.

The sender must take remedial action and file a complaint with the appropriate law-enforcement agency. In case a telemarketer is found responsible, all its telecom resources across service providers can be disconnected for one year, along with blacklisting.

The regulator has further provided for mandatory conditions in agreements between access providers and senders or telemarketers and introduced provisions allowing itself to classify senders into different categories and prescribe differentiated enforcement measures.

The telecom operators have also been obligated to ensure compliance with the regulatory provisions by the senders and telemarketers through contractual obligations between them. However, Trai observed that telcos many times do not put strict conditions in the agreements to ensure compliance by these entities, "primarily due to competition issues".

"...a new provision has been introduced whereby the Authority may prescribe the essential conditions that must mandatorily form part of these agreements between the access providers and the Senders/Telemarketers," it noted.

Trai said the amendments are aimed at strengthening consumer confidence, ensuring greater accountability among stakeholders and enabling more effective and timely action against misuse of telecom resources by spammers. The latest tweaks assume significance as Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC) has escalated from a daily nuisance into a severe digital threat that systematically erodes consumer trust.