Rs 500 penalty for mobile spam

Posted on | June 6, 2007 |

TRAI has decided to levy a fine of Rs 500 for every unsolicited call or SMS sent by a telemarketer. Further, the telemarketer could face disconnection of services.

The regulator has exempted messages relating to financial transactions under specific contracts (between the caller and a party), charities, national campaigns, natural calamities transmitted under government directions, among others.

TRAI, through this regulation, has also called for setting up a national database that contains a telephone numbers of subscribers who do not want to receive the telemarketing calls. TRAI has mandated National Informatics Centre (NIC) to set up a National Do Not Call (NDNC) registry in three months’ time.

Telecom service providers are required to set up the call centres with toll free telephone lines to which a subscriber can call to register his name and number.

Sources: Business Standard and TRAI

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