TRAI has new rules for unwanted spam calls, messages: All the details – Times of India

Starting today, May 1, TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) has brought in new regulations for telecom operators to tackle the issue of unwanted spam calls and messages.
The regulations require all telecom operators in the country to employ AI spam filters in their call and message services. The move brings relief to users who have been pestered by numerous spam calls and messages on a day-to-day basis.
These AI filters aim to address the increasing amount of spam calls and messages that cause inconvenience to customers. With these filters in place, the system can detect and prevent fraudulent and promotional communications from different sources, often used by scammers to cheat customers out of their money.
Some reports say that telecom companies have been hesitant to implement AI filters owing to privacy issues for the users. However, Airtel has announced the implementation of AI filters into its services. Meanwhile, Jio is said to be working on employing the filters and is expected to roll out the services soon.
There is still no word on when other telecom operators – BSNL, Vodafone Idea (Vi), and MTNL – will be employing AI filters for calls and messages in their systems.
To further combat the issue of fraudulent calls and messages, TRAI has instructed telecom companies to halt the transmission of promotional calls to mobile numbers with ten digits, which spammers and scammers frequently target.
Additionally, the regulatory body has encouraged telcos to integrate a Call ID function that exhibits the caller’s identity and image on the mobile phone display, allowing customers to recognize the caller.
Earlier, it was reported that the telecom regulatory body mandated blockchain-based DLT for voice calls from May 1.
The new regulations around spam calls and messages are set to be put into action starting today, May 1.