Telecom Regulatory Authority of India moots do-call registry

Annoying telemarketing calls and messages on your phone may soon be blocked more effectively. More than two years after the Telecom Unsolicited Commercial Communication Regulation was introduced in the country, the regulator is planning to roll out a different system to check the menace of unwanted calls shortly.

As opposed to the current practice of ‘do-not-call’ (DNC) registry, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is expected to come out with a consultation paper on ‘do-call’ registry soon. Trai chairman, JS Sarma told DNA, “We will issue a consultation paper by the end of January or early February on introducing a do-call registry.”

At present, phone subscribers have to go through a process of registration with the DNC registry of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), to block unwanted commercial calls and messages.

Since the DNC registry has not been very effective in checking the telemarketing calls, Trai is about to start a consultation process on an alternate method, do-call registry.

The do-call registry will be for those phone subscribers, who don’t mind receiving telemarketing calls. That is telemarketers, call centres and others can freely call those subscribers registered with the do-call registry.

If Trai comes out with a consultation paper on do-call registry soon, recommendations and guidelines on the same can be expected by the end of this year.

India has over 500 million mobile phone subscribers.