Relief From Telemarketers...At Last

There is news that should cheer many a vexed user of mobile phones.

Come September 27th, there will be no more nuisance calls - yes, that is what they are - and text messages sent by telemarketers across the country. At last.

Telephone Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is bent on enforcing their earlier decision to prevent unwilling mobile subscribers being disturbed by advertisements through calls/texts from telemarketing agencies.

According to TRAI, there are more than 850 million (85 crores) mobile users; and there are over 34 million (3.4 crores) landline users. While text messages are usually not a problem for landline users, pre-recorded voice messages have been an unwelcome nuisance to both landline users and mobile users. TRAI has been contemplating measures to check this completely; TRAI specified four deadlines in the past and each went by without much ado. But this time TRAI is determined to end the annoyance to customers who prefer to be left alone in peace.

The Do Not Call Registry (DNR) which has been in place so far is now named 'National Customer Preference Registry'. All mobile/landline subscribers registering themselves with the National Customer Preference Registry will be free from the annoyance of telemarketing messages.

TRAI has announced that all relevant provisions have been duly amended through the Telecom Commercial Communications Customers Preference (6th Amendment) Regulations, 2011.

In December 2010, TRAI announced that telemarketers who called customers registered with the Do Not Call Registry would face fines of Rs.75,000 for the first violation of subscriber preferences and that the penalty would be Rs. 2.5 lakh for the sixth violation; it was announced that further violation beyond the sixth would result in blacklisting of the offending agency.

So far, the absence of an easily identifiable number for telemarketing agencies made it next to impossible to implement the previously announced restrictions on telemarketers and to block such calls/message easily and effectively. Now, TRAI, in a delayed but brilliant move, has stipulated that '140' series be set apart for allotment to telemarketing agencies. TRAI has announced that it is the responsibility of mobile/landline service providers to make appropriate provisions in their  respective networks before allocating resources to telemarketers using '140' series.

Under the new provisions, mobile users can block telemarketing voice calls but choose to receive text messages (SMS).  In the case of text messages, the mobile users can choose to receive messages in areas of their personal preference like real estate, education, health services, tourism and leisure, automobiles etc.  Under the new regulations, even the subscribers who do not register with the 'National Customer Preference Registry' cannot be sent any commercial messages - be they voice mails or text - between 9 P.M. and 9 A.M.

Under the previous regulations, customers could change their preferences after three months; now, customers are free to change their preferences after a week. Apparently, TRAI wants to give greater leeway to subscribers of telecom services.

So we wait - for 27th September and happier times!