TRAI wants authority over call‑management apps blocking commercial calls

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has sought powers under the Information Technology Act to take action against call management apps and digital platforms that allegedly tag or block calls from designated 140- and 1600-series numbers as spam, according to people familiar with the matter.

Platforms such as Truecaller, Hiya, and Whoscall fall outside TRAI’s direct jurisdiction as they are classified as intermediaries under the IT Act and not telecom licensees regulated by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). As a result, the regulator currently lacks enforcement authority over them.

Officials clarified that TRAI is not aiming to regulate these platforms, but wants the ability to act when they violate applicable rules. The regulator has requested designation as an “authorised agency” under the IT Act, which would enable it to issue formal notices and seek compliance from such platforms. The proposal is understood to have received acceptance from the Ministry of Electronics and IT, with further process to be taken forward by the DoT.

Under the IT Rules, a notified government agency can send a reasoned written notice to an intermediary if any content or activity violates existing laws. Such notices must clearly specify the legal provision and the exact information or electronic location in question.

The 140 series is designated for promotional calls, while the 1600 series is reserved for service and transactional communications such as payment alerts and account-related updates.

TRAI’s 2025 amendments to the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations state that third-party call management apps should not block these designated number series. The regulator has cautioned that crowd-sourced spam tagging could lead to blanket blocking, especially as 140-series numbers are often shared by multiple entities.

The regulator has also directed businesses using standard 10-digit numbers for promotional calls to migrate to the 140 series, while the 1600 series was introduced to help consumers distinguish service-related communications.

Officials warned that incorrect tagging could disrupt legitimate business and government communications. If blocking of designated series continues, companies may revert to using regular 10-digit numbers, undermining efforts to clearly differentiate registered commercial calls from spam.

Truecaller has stated that it complies with TRAI requirements and does not tag or automatically block numbers from designated series as spam, even in cases where users have reported them frequently.

CT Bureau