Action against spam calls, offenders to be blacklisted for one:Automated calls to incur a charge of 5 paise per minute; TRAI introduces new rules

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has implemented new rules today to curb fraudulent and unsolicited commercial calls. Under the rules, robocalls, automated calls, and AI-based spam detection have been brought under the regulatory framework. If five or more numbers belonging to a spammer are identified within 10 days, their telecom connection may be disconnected, and they may be blacklisted for one year. In addition, automated calls will incur a charge of 5 paise per minute. Understand TRAI’s new rules one by one… Rule 1: Connection will be disconnected if five suspicious numbers are found within 10 days Rule 2: Crackdown on Fake Calls Made by Computers and Robots Rule 3: A penalty of 5 paise per minute for unauthorised calls Rule 4: Immediate action with three complaints and the help of AI Rule 5: Appeal within 15 days if dissatisfied with the resolution of your complaint Rule 6: Companies will be able to make calls for only seven days Rule 7: Action within 6 hours for sending an incorrect message, one-year ban Rule 8: Apps such as Truecaller will not be able to block official calls Apps such as Truecaller will no longer be able to collectively identify and block numbers belonging to government or official organisations, such as the 140xx, 1600xx and 1601xx series, as spam. However, if a consumer wants to block these numbers individually on their phone, they can do so themselves.