Friday, February 7, 2025
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    HomeLatest NewsCOAI Strengthens Efforts to Combat Unsolicited Commercial Communications

    COAI Strengthens Efforts to Combat Unsolicited Commercial Communications

    In a bid to tackle the persistent issue of Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC), the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and its members are intensifying collaboration with the government and regulatory bodies. Lt Gen Dr SP Kochhar, Director General of COAI, reaffirmed the industry’s commitment to curbing UCC, highlighting the ongoing efforts and future plans.

    “COAI and its members are working closely with the Government and the Regulator towards addressing the issue of Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC),” stated Lt Gen Kochhar. He emphasized the pivotal role of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulation (TCCCPR) introduced in 2018, which leverages Blockchain – Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) to combat UCC.

    This technology-driven approach, a global first and largest use case in telecom, involves multiple stakeholders including Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), Telemarketers, Aggregators, and Principal Entities (PEs). According to Kochhar, the DLT framework has led to a noticeable decline in UCC originating from SMS over the past few years. However, UCC via voice calls remains a challenge that TSPs and the Regulator are addressing.

    Also Read: Indian Citizens Targeted in Scam Calls, Government Takes Action

    To further mitigate UCC from voice calls, new models are being developed, including the allocation of the 140 series for promotional voice calls and the 160 series for transactional and service calls. These initiatives, currently under discussion among TSPs and technology partners, are expected to be implemented in the coming months.

    Another significant development is the Digital Consent Acquisition (DCA) framework, requiring PEs to obtain explicit digital consent from users before sending commercial communications. Efforts are underway to engage various PEs such as Banks, Financial Institutions, and Real Estate Agencies in implementing this framework.

    Additionally, COAI is actively participating in a committee formed by the Department of Consumer Affairs to draft guidelines under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, aimed at curbing pesky calls from Unregistered Telemarketers. These guidelines, once notified, are expected to provide substantial relief to consumers.

    Lt Gen Kochhar expressed optimism about these initiatives, calling for progressive action from authorities to ensure equitable regulatory compliance for TSPs and other messaging platforms providing similar services. “We look forward to progressive action from the authorities to ensure a level playing field in regulatory compliance requirements between TSPs and other messaging platforms providing similar communication services,” he concluded.

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