TRAI Reaches Key Milestone in SMS Traceability for Secure Messaging

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has successfully implemented a framework to ensure the traceability of all commercial SMS, marking a significant step towards creating a safer, spam-free messaging environment. This milestone is a crucial part of TRAI's ongoing efforts to protect consumers from spam while improving the transparency and accountability of commercial messaging systems.

Under the new framework, all Principal Entities (PEs), including businesses, banks, and government agencies, along with their Telemarketers (TMs), are required to register their message transmission paths through blockchain-based Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). This innovative approach ensures end-to-end traceability of each message, from its origin to delivery, while maintaining data security and minimizing delays.

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TRAI issued a directive on August 20, 2024, mandating the traceability of all commercial messages starting November 1, 2024. To ensure smooth implementation, the compliance deadlines were extended twice, with the final deadline set for December 10, 2024, allowing approximately 1.13 lakh active PEs across sectors such as banking, insurance, healthcare, and real estate to onboard seamlessly.

By collaborating with key regulators like RBI, SEBI, IRDAI, PFRDA, and government bodies such as NIC and CDAC, TRAI promoted awareness and facilitated the declaration and binding process. Access Providers played a key role in supporting PEs and TMs with outreach campaigns and technical guidance for smooth integration into the DLT system.

To minimize disruptions, TRAI introduced a temporary measure during the initial enforcement period, allowing messages sent through undeclared paths to be flagged with error codes without affecting critical communications, such as OTPs. This consumer-centric approach ensured uninterrupted services while maintaining compliance.

As of December 11, 2024, all major PEs have registered their transmission paths, and SMS traffic sent through unregistered paths is now being rejected. This marks the successful completion of the implementation process.

 

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TRAI’s continued commitment to combating spam and enhancing consumer trust is evident in this achievement. The SMS traceability initiative is part of broader anti-spam efforts, including the disconnection of resources used by spammers, URL whitelisting in SMS, and the migration of telemarketers to DLT platforms.

With these measures, TRAI is driving innovation and ensuring a secure, transparent telecom ecosystem for all users.

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