Trai slaps over ₹150 crore penalty on telecom operators for lapses in curbing spam

India’s telecom regulator has penalised service providers for failing to act on consumer complaints related to spam calls and messages, signalling tougher enforcement as Trai tightens accountability and strengthens rules to protect subscribers.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has imposed financial disincentives exceeding ₹150 crore on telecom service providers for non-compliance with anti-spam regulations over a three-year period starting in 2020. The penalties, according to official sources, stem from repeated failures by operators to investigate complaints and take timely action against connections misused for unsolicited calls and messages.

Trai’s review found multiple instances where customer complaints were incorrectly closed without adequate scrutiny, or where operators failed to suspend or disconnect telecom resources used by spammers. The regulator has stressed that the penalties were not linked to the mere origin of spam on a network, but to lapses in post-complaint enforcement.

Regulatory non-compliance under scrutiny

Under existing rules, telecom operators are required to verify complaints and act swiftly against offending numbers, including suspension or disconnection. Trai can levy penalties of up to ₹50 lakh per month per licensed service area for continued violations. Audits of complaint-handling systems reportedly revealed systemic gaps, prompting the regulator to impose cumulative penalties across operators.

Telecom companies have challenged the financial disincentives, arguing that evolving spam techniques—such as the use of virtual numbers, frequent SIM changes and complex routing—have made enforcement more difficult. The issue is expected to face further legal and regulatory examination.

Crackdown leads to mass disconnections

Trai said its enforcement measures have resulted in large-scale action against spammers nationwide. Over the past year, more than 21 lakh spam-linked connections have been disconnected and over one lakh entities blacklisted. A significant spike was recorded in September 2024, when operators disconnected nearly 18.8 lakh numbers and blacklisted over 1,150 entities following specific regulatory directions.

The regulator views consumer complaints as the cornerstone of its anti-spam framework. Complaints enable coordinated action across networks, unlike simple call blocking, which spammers can easily bypass by switching numbers. To simplify reporting, Trai has expanded the complaint window to seven days and introduced a Do Not Disturb app designed to register complaints quickly.

Tighter rules to curb evolving spam tactics

Trai has also strengthened norms to address spam originating from unregistered senders using regular mobile numbers. New measures include quicker action thresholds, mandatory use of dedicated number series by banks, financial institutions and government bodies, stricter message classification, and a ban on promotional calls from standard mobile numbers.

The regulator maintains that strict compliance and active consumer participation are essential as spam increasingly overlaps with digital fraud and financial scams. Trai has signalled that accountability for telecom operators will only intensify as it continues its push to protect subscribers from unsolicited and potentially harmful communications.