TRAI issues directions on blocking of bulk international SMS

Following complaints of promotional SMSes being routed through the servers located at international destinations and being delivered to customers registered under NCPR, telecom watchdog TRAI today issued a direction to all access providers and International Long Distance (ILD) operators for blocking the bulk international SMSes. 

To strengthen the framework for addressing unsolicited commercial communications and to effectively control SMSes coming from international locations, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued a direction to all the access providers and the ILD operators mandating them to take steps, within thirty days, to put the necessary system in place. 

The TRAI directed that all international SMSes containing alphabet header or alphanumeric header or +91 as originating country code should not be delivered through the network. 

It also gave directions that if any source or number from outside the country generates more than two hundred SMSes per hour with similar ‘signature’, the same should not be delivered through the network. 

However, such restriction may not be applicable on blackout days. 

Further, it directed that only valid codes associated with the network of those entities with whom agreements have been signed by the access providers may be allowed in the network. 

As per provisions of 'The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2010', which came into effect from September 27 last year, the unsolicited commercial calls or SMSess will not be delivered to the customers registered on National Customer Preference Register (NCPR). 

However, during the implementation of the regulations, several incidences came to the notice of TRAI that promotional SMSes were being routed through the servers located at international destinations and were getting delivered to customers registered under NCPR. 

It was observed that generally such SMSes were getting originated from locations within Germany, Sweden, Nauru, Fiji, Cambodia, Bosnia, Albania, Grenada, the UK, Jersey, Sint Maarten, Tonga, Vanuatu, Namibia, Panama, Antigua and Barbuda. 

These SMSess contain the headers which are alphanumeric or starting with +91 or numbers with international codes. 

TRAI took serious note of such incidences and had detailed discussions with the telemarketers, access service providers ILD operators to evolve measures for addressing the issue.