JOIN USNew Trai norms to stop pesky messages
In an attempt to curb unsolicited telemarketing messages, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Monday announced new guidelines in which only 100 SMSes in a day per SIM card will be allowed at concessional rates.
For every SMS beyond the cap of 100 SMSes, a charge of minimum 50 paise will be applicable, the regulator said.
"To prevent unregistered telemarketers from misusing such SMS packs or tariff plans for sending bulk promotional SMS, a price restraint has been placed on sending of more than 100 SMSes per day per SIM at a concessional rate," regulator’s Principal Advisor (Consumer Awareness) N Parameswaran told reporters here.
Though the subscriber is free to send more than 100 SMSs, but over and above that number per day per SIM shall be charged at a tariff of minimum 50 paise, he added. For this, the telecom operators have to bring out new SMSes packs.
The telecom companies have to implement the latest norms within fifteen days," he said, adding that these measures are only the initial steps and more will follow.
Operators have also been asked to put in place a solution within three months, which will ensure that no commercial SMS are sent through machine. This solution should also ensure that not more than 200 SMSes with such similar 'signature' are sent in an hour, he said. However, registered telemarketers, transactional message sending entities and telephone numbers exempted by TRAI are excluded from this provision, he added.
In future if subscribers continue to get pesky SMSes, they can forward such SMSes to 1909 after appending the telephone number from which it came along with the date of receipt.