Mumbai: To ensure that all promotional messages are sent through Registered Telemarketers (RTMs) using approved headers and message templates on the distributed ledger technologies (DLT) platform, as well as to prevent the misuse of headers and message templates, TRAI has issued two separate directions to access service providers under the Telecom commercial communication customer preference regulations, 2018, and the Telecom regulatory authority of india Act 1997.

Some telemarketers are abusing principal entity (PE) headers and message templates, according to Trai.

Access service providers have been directed to reverify all registered headers & message templates on DLT platform and block all unverified headers and message templates within 30 and 60 days respectively.

They are also needed to ensure that temporary headers are deactivated immediately after the time duration for which such headers were created.

They should ensure that content variables in message templates do not have flexibility to insert undesired contents. Entities involved in message transmission should be clearly identifiable and tracked, if required.

They need to remove confusions among recipients of messages and prevent their misuse, no Look-alike headers (headers which are similar by virtue of combination of small case or large case letters) are to be registered by access providers in names of different principal entities.

To curb messages from unauthorised or unregistered telemarketers, including telemarketers using telephone numbers, Access providers have been directed to bar all Telemarketers, who are not registered on distributed ledger technologies (DLT) platform from handling the message template  scrubbing and delivery of messages to recipients through Access Providers' network

They need to ensure that promotional messages are not transmitted by unregistered telemarketers or telemarketers using telephone numbers (10 digits numbers)

They shoul take action against all such erring telemarketers as per the provisions of the regulations and also initiate actions as per relevant legal laws. The Access Service Provider shall also notify details of such Telemarketers to other Access Providers, who shall, in turn, bar these entities from sending any kind of commercial communications through their networks.

All the telecom service providers have been directed to comply with the above directions within thirty days.