DoT, telecom operators discuss answers to unwanted calls, SMSes

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the telecom industry are working towards a consensus to resolve the issue of unwanted calls and messages on mobile phones. This may include imposing criminal liability on telemarketers and allocation of a distinct number series for them, so that customers can recognise the source of the call .

DoT is considering a view of the operators that there should be a criminal liability on the defaulting telemarketer after a warning, penalty and disconnection if it continues to make unsolicited calls to customers who are registered under the national do-not-call (DNC) registry.

As for allocation of a distinct number series for registered telemarketers, some operators feel it may not effectively resolve the problem. “Apart from problems of provisioning, monitoring and continuously tracking these series for a comparatively small group of the customer base, it is also a waste of resources. This will shift the onus on subscribers to identify telemarketing numbers and disconnect the calls, which will not address the core issue of unwanted calls being received by DNC-registered customers. Also, it will not solve the major issue of unwanted SMSes,” the operators said.

There have been rounds of meetings between DoT and service providers on tackling the issue, which gained momentum when telecom minister A Raja directed the department to work out a mechanism for stopping unwanted calls immediately after Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee received a telemarketing call while in Parliament.

The national DNC registry has not met with much success. Mobile subscribers need to register themselves on it to block commercial calls or messages. There is little awareness of it. The regulator is also contemplating setting up a do-call registry, wherein users can register and opt for getting commercial calls.

Blacklisting will also address the problem of unsolicited commercial calls. However, the issue of non-registered telemarketers may not get resolved through blacklisting, the operators said.