TRAI Tightens Spam Rules, Brings AI-Based Detection And Robocall Monitoring Under New UCC Framework

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has bolstered its measures against unsolicited commercial communications (UCC), incorporating AI-powered spam detection and stricter monitoring of automated calling systems within a revised framework. The regulations, amended on September 18, are designed to bolster spam identification and hold telecom operators, senders, and telemarketers more accountable.

AI-based detection tools will be employed to flag customer-line numbers (CLIs) that exhibit a high likelihood of being used for spam communications. Telecom service providers will also be compelled to share information about suspected senders with other operators. TRAI stipulates that if five or more CLIs associated with a sender are flagged within a 10-day period, providers must conduct additional checks, which may include re-verifying Know Your Customer (KYC) information, conducting physical verification, suspending outgoing services, and disconnecting resources in cases of repeated infractions.

The revised rules extend the regulatory scope to encompass Application-to-Person (A2P) calls, which include automated, robocalls, and pre-recorded or AI-generated voice calls generated via software systems. Entities utilizing A2P calling services must disclose their usage details, including the numbers involved, to telecom providers; otherwise, such calls will be classified as UCC.

Violators of these regulations face a termination charge of up to ₹0.05 per minute. However, calls originating from approved commercial communication number series or those authorized by TRAI are exempt from this charge. The regulator has also lowered the threshold for initiating enforcement actions, requiring only three complaints if both consumer complaints and AI or machine learning systems identify the sender as a suspected spammer.

TRAI asserts that these changes harmonize consumer complaints with automated detection systems to facilitate swifter identification and action against violators. Additionally, consumers will be able to contest UCC decision-making within a 15-day window through various platforms, including the TRAI DND App, telecom operator apps, websites, calls, or SMS to 1909.