Do-call registry to curb unwanted calls
It could bring a major relief to the over 500 million harried mobile subscribers who are bombarded with unsolicited telemarketing calls and messages every day.
After the failure of the Do-not-call registry (DNCR), the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(Trai) now plans to try out Do-call registry (DCR) to curb unnecessary telemarketing calls.
Two years after the Telecom Unsolicited Commercial Communication Regulation was introduced in the country, it has been considered a failure because of the inability of the government to control the large unorganised telemarketing sector, which has managed to circumvent the regulation and reach consumers. The service has met with a lukewarm response with only 4 per cent of the subscriber base (20 million users) registering for do-not-call since its launch in 2007.
Currently, subscribers need DNCR to stop unwanted telemarketing calls and messages. Even the telemarketing companies wishing to provide the service must register with the regulator — a weak link as small and unorganised operators do not register and are difficult to identify and catch. Only 16,000 telemarketing companies are registered with the regulator. Industry estimates the total number to be over 100,000.
Under the new system, telemarketing calls and messages will be allowed only to those subscribers who have registered for the specific calls or messages. It will be assumed that those who don't register are not interested in receiving unsolicited calls and messages.
Trai has had discussions with operators on the issue and will release a consultation paper before finalising the system.
Said a senior Trai official: “We are planning to come out with DCR, which will replace the current system. We will release a consultation paper before we finalise with our stakeholders...”
While countries such as the US, the UK, Ireland and Australia have implemented DNCR, there is no country which has opted for the do-call approach.
“Do-call Registry is a better idea. Mobile users will make informed choice, while for telemarketers, it will be an incentive, as they will know who their potential subscribers are,” Mahesh Uppal, a telecom expert, said. It would make enforcement of regulations easier, he added.
Subscribers who registered for do-not-call were allowed 15 days to make a complaint to Trai in case they received unsolicited calls. But the redressal mechanism is not effective and few telemarketing companies have been booked.
Second, registration is a big problem, since most users do not have access to internet. Subscribers in rural and semi-urban areas are not even aware of the regulations. Finally, with a user receiving three-four telemarketing calls in a day, it is difficult to go on complaining against each.
The regulator’s penal provisions, which include not-too-stiff fines have also made the current system relaxed. Trai imposes on the mobile operator a fine of Rs 5,000 for the first unsolicited commercial call made to a Do-not-call registered subscriber, and Rs 20,000 for every subsequent call. Telemarketers are fined Rs 500 for the first unsolicited call and Rs 1,000 for every subsequent call.
