Unwanted calls promoting loans, credit cards, insurance products and investment schemes may soon become easier to identify and control. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has strengthened its rules governing commercial calls and messages, introducing closer coordination between consumer complaints and artificial intelligence-based spam-detection systems.
The changes have been introduced through the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2026. The revised framework aims to help telecom operators detect suspected spammers earlier, share information across networks and act against the wider set of numbers connected to an offending sender.
The amendment also establishes new requirements for automated calls, customer consent, misused message templates and complaint appeals.
AI and customer complaints will work together
Major telecom operators already use artificial intelligence and machine-learning systems to analyse calling patterns and identify numbers that have a high probability of sending unsolicited commercial communications, commonly known as UCC.
Under the revised framework, telecom service providers must identify suspicious Calling Line Identification numbers and share relevant intelligence with other operators. This means a number flagged on one telecom network may also face scrutiny across other networks.
The complaint threshold for certain cases has also been lowered. Action can now be triggered when three or more unique consumers complain about a sender within 10 days and the concerned number has also been identified by an AI or ML system as a probable source of spam.
Previously, five or more unique complaints within 10 days were generally required to trigger complaint-based action. The new three-complaint threshold applies when the consumer reports are supported by the AI-generated risk flag. Press Information Bureau
Multiple numbers linked to one sender can be investigated
Spammers frequently switch numbers after one connection is blocked. TRAI’s amended rules seek to reduce the effectiveness of this tactic by examining the telecom resources associated with the sender, rather than treating every number as an entirely separate case.
If five or more Calling Line Identification numbers connected with a sender are flagged during a 10-day period, telecom operators can begin further investigation and graded action.
Possible steps may include:
- Re-verification of the sender’s KYC details
- Physical verification where required
- Restriction of outgoing services
- Disconnection of telecom resources in repeated or serious cases
This broader approach could make it more difficult for a commercial caller to resume the same activity immediately using another number.
Automated and app-based calls face new controls
TRAI has also brought Application-to-Person calls under a clearer regulatory structure. A2P calls include communications initiated through software, an automated platform or an application without direct human dialling.
These may include robocalls, autodialled calls and communications using prerecorded or artificially generated voices.
An organisation using A2P calling must inform its telecom service provider in advance and provide details of the numbers that will be used. Automated calls made without the required declaration can be treated as unsolicited commercial communication.
A termination charge of up to five paise per minute has also been introduced for A2P calls. This amount is payable by the originating telecom provider to the terminating provider—not directly by the customer receiving the call. Calls using designated regulated series or specifically authorised by TRAI are exempt.
A customer inquiry does not permit unlimited follow-ups
A business may contact a customer in response to an inquiry about a product or service, but this permission is not open-ended. Under the amended rules, communication based on a customer inquiry may continue for only seven days from the date of that inquiry.
The original request must have been made in writing or through a digital method, and the sender must preserve a verifiable record. A company cannot simply claim that a customer had requested information without maintaining evidence.
This provision is particularly relevant to online shopping and service platforms, where customers often submit their phone numbers while asking about a product, delivery or subscription.
Misused headers and templates must be suspended quickly
Commercial messages often use registered headers and approved content templates. If one of these resources is misused, the originating telecom provider must suspend the affected header or template within six hours of becoming aware of the problem.
The sender must take corrective steps and report the misuse to the appropriate law-enforcement agency. If a telemarketer is responsible, all telecom resources associated with it across service providers may be disconnected for one year, along with blacklisting.
Do not automatically reject calls from 1600 or 1601 series
The amendment also addresses the risk of genuine calls being incorrectly labelled as spam. Specially designated series such as 140xx, 1600xx and 1601xx are used for regulated commercial, service, transactional and government communications.
Call-management applications are prohibited from automatically blocking or tagging these designated series as spam without following the regulatory safeguards. However, individual users remain free to block or filter a number on their own device.
Consumers should still remain cautious. A familiar-looking number series does not mean they should disclose an OTP, UPI PIN, banking password or card details. Legitimate banks and government departments do not require customers to reveal such confidential credentials over an unsolicited call.
How to report a spam call or message
Consumers can submit UCC complaints through:
- The TRAI DND application
- Their telecom operator’s app or online portal
- A call or SMS to 1909
Complaints should be filed promptly and should include the calling number, date, time and nature of the communication. Under the new appeal mechanism, a consumer who is dissatisfied with the handling of a UCC complaint can appeal within 15 days through the available complaint channels.
The revised system does not promise that every unwanted call will disappear immediately. Its main advantage is that consumer reports will now be combined with network-level AI intelligence, giving telecom operators more evidence to identify organised spam activity and take faster action against repeat offenders.
