Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has imposed a fine of Rs 35 crore on telecom companies for failing to curb unwanted calls and messages. Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnav has given this information in a written reply in Parliament. The Union Minister said that TRAI has imposed a penalty of Rs 34.99 crore on an access service provider for failing to curb unsolicited commercial communication in its network from registered telemarketers.
Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that as per reports, the telecom operators have disconnected 15,382 and 32,032 connections during the year- 2021 and 2022 respectively for violating the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulation (TCCCPR), 2018.
Last month, TRAI directed service providers to develop a unified digital platform in two months to obtain customer consent for promotional calls and messages, such as retention and cancellation of facilities. Also, TRAI had instructed telecom companies to install Spam Filters (AIML) equipped with Artificial Intelligence on their networks in a month. However, even after this, there is no reduction in the number of unwanted calls.
Increase in unwanted call-messages
Let us tell you that in the survey conducted earlier this year, about 76 percent of the respondents claimed that they have seen an increase in unwanted calls or messages based on their interactions with WhatsApp business account and their activity on Facebook or Instagram.
(pc amarujala)
