New Delhi: In a bold move to tackle the perennial nuisance of spam calls and messages, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has imposed hefty penalties totalling ₹150 crore on major operators Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea for failing to effectively curb promotional spam between 2020 and 2023.
The fines stem from serious lapses in compliance, including delayed action against identified spammers and improper handling of customer complaints — such as prematurely closing them without resolution. TRAI clarified that the penalties were not for spam originating from these networks but for inadequate enforcement of anti-spam regulations.
Under existing rules, operators face up to ₹50 lakh per service area per month for violations. To intensify the fight, TRAI has ramped up measures: disconnecting over 21 lakh spam connections and blacklisting more than 1 lakh entities last year. Following fresh directives in August 2024, an additional 18.8 lakh connections were cut, and over 1,150 entities were blacklisted by September.
Consumer-friendly steps include a revamped DND app for quick spam reporting in just 4–6 clicks, extending complaint windows from 3 to 7 days, and empowering action against numbers drawing 5 complaints in 10 days. Promotional calls from banks, insurers, and government now mandate the 1600 series, banning ordinary 10-digit mobiles.
This crackdown signals TRAI’s resolve to protect consumers from unsolicited intrusions, potentially ushering in cleaner inboxes and quieter phones amid rising digital harassment complaints.