New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has convened a meeting of the Joint Committee of Regulators (JCoR) to protect consumers from the harms of spam and fraud; ensure a safer and more efficient telecom ecosystem.
In his address, TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti stressed the need for a concerted effort to tackle the problem of spam messages and calls.
The meeting was held on 27 August 2024 at the TRAI Headquarters in New Delhi. JCoR members from IRDAI, PFRDA, RBI, SEBI, MoCA, MeitY and TRAI attended the meeting. Additionally, representatives from DoT and MHA joined as special invitees. The JCoR serves as a collaborative platform to examine regulatory implications in the digital era and work collaboratively on regulatory frameworks.
Lahoti urged regulators to discuss and allow implementation of (i) whitelisting of URLs, APKs, OTT links and callback numbers to be sent in SMS, (ii) migration of existing teleoperators making promotional calls to 140 series on DLT platform, and (iii) declaration of the entire chain of teleoperators engaged by them for PE-TM chain linking.
The meeting discussed potential collaborative initiatives and strategies to address UCC and fraud through telecommunications resources. Key topics discussed include:
– Role of entities in whitelisting URLs, APKs, OTT links and callback numbers in content templates and ensuring traceability of all messages from senders to recipients: Many cases of misuse of headers and templates have been observed. Fraud occurs by transmitting malicious links using the variable parts of messages. In case of misuse of headers and content templates, it is difficult to find the entity that drove the traffic. Therefore, it is necessary to implement mandatory whitelisting of URLs, APKs, OTT links or callback numbers, and declaration of the entire chain of teleoperators engaged by them for linking the PE-TM chain as per the timelines set by the latest TRAI instructions.
– Addressing the issue of entities using PRI/SIP channels to make unsolicited calls: Many commercial entities make commercial voice calls using SIP/PRI lines with hundreds of indicators, which violates TRAI regulations. These entities should migrate to the 140 series designated for making promotional calls. Also, there is an urgent need to take strong action, without further delay, against spammers using PRI/SIP/bulk connections to make promotional voice calls/robocalls/pre-recorded calls.
– Leverage the DCA system set up by telecom service providers to obtain digital consent from consumers: The DCA system will be of great value to entities not only for messaging services but also for voice calls. It enables delivery of messages and calls to recipients irrespective of their DND preference. The technical infrastructure for DCA is already in place. Regulators have been asked to request entities under their jurisdiction to start using this facility on a temporary basis.
– Use of 160 series by Entities for making service and transactional calls for easy identification by consumers – 160 series has been allocated exclusively for service and transactional calls. A pilot study was commissioned by TRAI and RBI to determine the technical feasibility of various options, the outcome of which was analysed.
– Improving information sharing among regulators to control fraud using telecommunications resources – Emphasis was placed on sharing information available with various regulators on their platforms and effectively using it to control fraud.
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