Within 60 days, the telecom operators are asked to develop a system to temporarily deactivate all headers which remain unused for 30 days.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, or TRAI, directed operators to check telemarketing message templates within 30 days. According to a report by Press Trust of India, TRAI instructed the telecom operators on Friday to take action against telemarketers who are misusing headers and content templates of enterprises.
“Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC) is a major source of inconvenience to the public and impinges on the privacy of individuals and Trai has been taking various steps to curb it. Today, TRAI has issued a direction to stop misuse of message templates under Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulations, 2018 (TCCCPR-2018),” TRAI said on Friday.
India’s telecom authority added that look-alike message titles or headers are creating confusion among recipients of messages and are being misused by some entities. TRAI has directed the telecom operators to make changes in the code of practices around the headers and content templates of telemarketing messages under the TCCCPR 2018 rules. It has also asked the operators to minimize the number of variables allowed in a content template.
The regulator has asked them to comply with the direction within 30 days and further directed the telecom operators to re-verify all headers registered on blockchain-based messaging platforms within the said time frame and block unverified headers. Within 60 days, the telecom operators are asked to develop a system to temporarily deactivate all headers which remain unused for 30 days.
Furthermore, an online process to reactivate the message headers must be set up by the telecom operators who must further ensure that each header is distinct. For content templates, telecom operators must re-verify all of them within 60 days and block unverified templates.
Telemarketing message templates are pre-written scripts or templates that provide a structure and guide for telemarketers when making sales or marketing calls. These templates are designed to help telemarketers communicate effectively, convey key information, and engage potential customers. Telemarketing message templates, if not used appropriately, can contribute to the creation of pesky messages.
