The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recently changed messaging rules in hopes of reducing spam threats for mobile users in the country. Now that the exercise is over and new rules are in effect, the regulator has finally revealed the reason and methodology. TRAI on Thursday said that through this, a framework has been established to ensure traceability of all commercial SMS messages.

This is a major step towards creating a more secure and spam-free email ecosystem.

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New TRAI rules for commercial SMS: How did it start?

Under this framework, all principal entities (PEs), including businesses, banks and government agencies, as well as their telemarketers (TMs), were required to declare and record their message transmission routes using of blockchain-based distributed ledger technology (DLT). According to TRAI, this declarative and binding process ensures complete traceability of each message, from its origin to its final delivery, while preserving data security and avoiding delays in SMS transmission. To enforce this, TRAI issued a directive on August 20, 2024, making traceability of all commercial messages mandatory from November 1, 2024.

Recognizing the considerable efforts required for implementation, TRAI has extended compliance deadlines till November 30 and again to December 10 to facilitate the onboarding of around 1.13 lakh PEs active in various sectors including banking, insurance, health and real estate. TRAI has also adopted a collaborative approach, working with sector regulators such as RBI, SEBI, IRDAI and PFRDA, as well as government agencies like NIC, CDAC and state governments, to create awareness and expedite reporting and processes. binding.

New TRAI rules for commercial SMS: How did it work out?

ISPs have played a key role in assisting PEs and TMs by conducting targeted awareness campaigns and providing technical support to facilitate smooth integration into the DLT system. To avoid disruptions, TRAI has adopted a phased implementation approach during the initial phase of enforcement. While blockchain regulations were technically in effect, messages sent via undeclared paths were temporarily allowed but labeled with error codes.

These error codes were communicated to the respective PEs, allowing them to resolve the issues without affecting critical communications, such as OTPs or urgent messages. This consumer-focused strategy ensured uninterrupted email services while meeting regulatory compliance. Thanks to these collective efforts led by TRAI, all major PEs have successfully registered their message channels with ISPs.

Since December 11, all SMS traffic sent via unregistered channels has been rejected, marking the completion of this vast initiative. The traceability framework complements TRAI’s other anti-spam measures, including disconnecting telecommunications resources used by spammers, whitelisting URLs in SMS messages, and transitioning 140-series telemarketers to DLT platforms .