TRAI Tightens Spam Call Rules: Telecom Operators Must Act On AI-Identified Spammers

India’s telecom regulator, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), has strengthened its rules to take on spam calls and unsolicited commercial communications (UCC). Under the revised rules, telecom operators can take action against suspected spammers identified by their AI and machine-learning based caller identification systems, even if consumers haven’t filed individual complaints.

AI-Based Systems to Detect Spam Callers

• Many telecom operators are already using AI and machine-learning systems to detect suspicious calling patterns and alert customers. The revised framework now enables information generated by such systems to be used for regulatory action against suspected spammers.
• If an incoming call is flagged as “suspected spam”, the telecom operator receiving the call must share the relevant information with the originating telecom operator within two hours.
• The originating access provider must then identify the sender using unique KYC identifiers within one business day and share the information with other telecom operators. Those operators must check whether the same sender has used other connections associated with suspected spam activity during the previous 10 days.

Five or More Flagged Numbers Can Trigger Action

The amended rules specify a threshold for regulatory action. If five or more Calling Line Identification (CLI) numbers associated with the same sender are identified as suspected spam within a 10-day period, the concerned telecom operators must take action against the sender.

This means telecom companies can investigate suspicious activity across multiple connections rather than treating each spam number as an isolated case.

First Violation Can Lead to a 15-Day Outgoing Ban

When it comes to the first violation detected through the AI-based mechanism, outgoing services across the sender’s telecom resources can be barred for 15 days. The restriction can even apply to telecom resources that weren’t directly used for the communication that triggered the action.

For subsequent violations, the rules provide for a much stronger response. Telecom resources associated with the sender, including SIMs and PRI/SIP trunks, can be disconnected for one year, and the sender can be placed on a blacklist during that period. New telecom resources may also be denied.

New Rules Also Cover Automated and AI Calls

TRAI’s amended framework also covers Application-to-Person (A2P) calls which include calls initiated through applications, software systems or automated platforms. The framework covers technologies such as autodialling, robocalls, prerecorded calls and artificial-voice systems. Businesses using A2P calling are required to declare the relevant usage and number ranges to their telecom operators in advance.

Undeclared A2P calls can be treated as unsolicited commercial communication under the new framework.

What the New TRAI Rules Mean for Consumers

• The latest changes place part of the responsibility for combating spam calls on telecom operators and their network-level monitoring systems. Rather than relying solely on customer complaints, operators can use AI-based detection to identify suspicious patterns and initiate the enforcement process.
• The regulations are part of TRAI’s broader push to strengthen India’s framework against spam calls, unsolicited commercial communications, robocalls and misuse of telecom resources.