In a decisive step to tackle the rising problem of spam calls, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has amended the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR), 2018, according to an official statement from the Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The updated regulations, announced on February 12, introduce stricter measures to strengthen customer protection against Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC).

Key highlights of the amendment include:

Extended Complaint Window: Customers can now file complaints about spam/UCC within 7 days of receiving the communication, an extension from the previous 3-day limit.

Reduced Action Time: The time frame for access providers to take action against unregistered senders of spam has been significantly reduced from 30 days to just 5 days, ensuring quicker response times.

Stricter Criteria for Action: TRAI has revised the threshold for triggering action against spam senders. Previously, action would be taken after 10 complaints were filed against a sender within 7 days. The new rule lowers this threshold to 5 complaints within 10 days.

These changes will take effect 30 days after their publication in the Official Gazette, with certain regulations coming into force after 60 days.

Additionally, TRAI had previously issued directions on August 13, 2024, mandating the disconnection of all telecom resources used by unregistered telemarketers (UTMs) for making spam calls. Since then, telecom operators have implemented widespread actions, leading to a notable decrease in complaints against UTMs—from 1,89,419 complaints in August 2024 to 1,34,821 in January 2025. Over 1,150 entities and individuals have been blacklisted, and more than 18.8 lakh telecom resources have been disconnected.