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To curb unsolicited and spam calls, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has introduced a termination charge of up to 5 paise per minute on Application-to-Person (A2P) calls.
The charge will be paid by the originating access provider to the terminating access provider. However, the actual charge will be decided through commercial negotiations between telecom service providers, with 5 paise per minute prescribed as the maximum limit. TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti said the ceiling was primarily based on the termination charge already prescribed for commercial SMS. The exact amount, of course, we have left to the commercial negotiation between the terminating access provider and the originating access provider, Lahoti said during a press briefing. A2P calls are calls made through applications, software or automated systems instead of being dialled directly by an individual. These include autodialled calls, robocalls and calls using pre-recorded or artificial voice technologies. Under the amended regulations, entities using A2P calls will have to inform their telecom service provider in advance and provide details of the Calling Line Identities (CLIs) that will be used. A2P calls made without the required declaration will be treated as UCC. However, calls made through numbering series specifically designated by TRAI for regulated commercial communications, as well as calls authorised by the Authority, will be exempt from the termination charge. The latest measures form part of TRAIs wider efforts to strengthen its framework against spam and unsolicited communications. The regulator is also using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) tools to identify suspected UCC and enable telecom operators to take action against such activity. Under the framework, telecom service providers will identify CLIs that have a high probability of being used for UCC and share relevant information with other service providers for further investigation. If five or more CLIs linked to the same sender are flagged within 10 days, graded action can be initiated. This may include KYC re-verification, physical verification, barring of outgoing services and, in cases of repeated violations, disconnection of telecom resources. TRAI has also strengthened safeguards against the misuse of headers and content templates used for commercial communications and sought greater accountability from senders and telemarketers. The latest amendments follow TRAIs consultation process that began with the draft Third Amendment Regulations issued in March 2026. The Authority subsequently received comments and counter-comments from stakeholders and held an Open House Discussion in June before finalising the amendments. Through these measures, TRAI is seeking to use technology, financial disincentives and stronger enforcement to reduce spam and unsolicited commercial calls reaching telecom consumers. (ANI)
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