Trai to introduce do-not-call registry
Trai said this was essential as unsolicited commercial calls "disturbed a large number of subscribers".
By TNN |
NEW DELHI: India will soon have a do-not-call registry where subscribers can list their telephone numbers and avoid getting telemarketing calls and SMSs. Initiating a consultation process on the issue on Monday, Trai said this was essential as unsolicited commercial calls "disturbed a large number of subscribers by forcing them to respond to their telephones, thus invading their privacy".
Trai has also cited the growing dissatisfaction among consumers on this issue, and said that its exercise was aimed at reducing the bulk of unsolicited commercial communications. (UCC includes telemarketing calls, SMSs, or other commercial or marketing messages)
"It is essential to maintain the privacy and reduce the inconvenience to subscribers who do not wish to receive such calls or messages, yet not ban the activity of telemarketing itself," Trai chairman Nripendra Misra said.
In a bid to counter the backlash from the telemarketing industry, Trai has also pointed out that it had intentions to ban telemarketing activity in itself, and clarified that the process was only to reduce the number of telemarketing calls to people who do not wish to receive them.
"A portion of the population wants to learn about different products and services, and telemarketing is a large industry that has generated useful employment. The telemarketing industry will benefit from this move because it will reduce the number of calls they will need to make to reach interested potential customers," Trai said.
Many countries around the world have implemented mechanisms to reduce unwanted UCC. The United States has implemented a national do-not-call registers that allows subscribers to specify that they do not want telemarketers to call them. Other countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and Hong Kong have also begun or are planning similar measures. Many of these mechanisms involve both regulation and legislation.
Trai has also cited the growing dissatisfaction among consumers on this issue, and said that its exercise was aimed at reducing the bulk of unsolicited commercial communications. (UCC includes telemarketing calls, SMSs, or other commercial or marketing messages)
"It is essential to maintain the privacy and reduce the inconvenience to subscribers who do not wish to receive such calls or messages, yet not ban the activity of telemarketing itself," Trai chairman Nripendra Misra said.
In a bid to counter the backlash from the telemarketing industry, Trai has also pointed out that it had intentions to ban telemarketing activity in itself, and clarified that the process was only to reduce the number of telemarketing calls to people who do not wish to receive them.
"A portion of the population wants to learn about different products and services, and telemarketing is a large industry that has generated useful employment. The telemarketing industry will benefit from this move because it will reduce the number of calls they will need to make to reach interested potential customers," Trai said.
Many countries around the world have implemented mechanisms to reduce unwanted UCC. The United States has implemented a national do-not-call registers that allows subscribers to specify that they do not want telemarketers to call them. Other countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and Hong Kong have also begun or are planning similar measures. Many of these mechanisms involve both regulation and legislation.
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