TRAI Extends SMS Traceability Deadline to December 10 for Telecom Operators

Highlights

• TRAI has now extended the SMS traceability deadline to December 10.
• Non-compliance will result in message rejection starting December 11.
• TRAI reassures that OTP messages won’t be affected.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has extended the deadline for implementing SMS traceability guidelines from November 30 to December 10.

With effect from 11th December 2024, any traffic (messages) where the chain of Telemarketers is not defined or does not match with the pre-defined chain shall be rejected.

PEs and TMs are again advised to expedite the declaration of chains on priority as any message that fails to adhere to the traceability regulation will be rejected with effect from 11th of December 2024,” TRAI stated.

The updated system needs telemarketers to define the chain of Principal Entity (PE) and Telemarketer (TM) chain.

This will enable the telecom operators to trace the origin of messages and telemarketers sending messages without compliance will be blocked.

This initiative aims to curb spam and make it easier to identify defaulters behind unsolicited communications.

TRAI announcement comes after a review of the progress of PE-TM chain declarations and considering requests from telecom operators.

The deadline was previously pushed from November 1 to November 30.

Telecom operators have expressed concerns stating that while they are technically ready, it might be difficult for PEs and TMs might be to register their chains on the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) platform. This would disrupt the delivery of critical messages.

However, TRAI noted that “more than 27,000 PEs have already registered their chains with the respective Access Providers and further registration is in progress at a rapid pace.” It also reassured users that “the rules won’t cause any disruption in OTP messages.”

TRAI warned that starting December 11, any message where the PE-TM chain is undefined or mismatched will be rejected.

“Access Providers have sent and are continuing to send warning notices to all PEs and TMs who have not yet implemented necessary changes,” TRAI said in a release.

“PEs and TMs are again advised to expedite the declaration of chains on priority as any message that fails to adhere to the traceability regulation will be rejected with effect from 11th of December 2024,” it added.

It also said, “All the Principal Entities (PE) and Telemarketers (TM) shall complete the PE-TM chain binding at the earliest to avoid disruption in the transmission of messages.”

प्रेस विज्ञप्ति संख्या 90/2024 सुरक्षित एसएमएस सेवा के लिए संदेश ट्रेसेबिलिटी के कार्यान्वयन के संबंध में।
Press Release No. 90/2024regarding implementation of message traceability for safe SMS sercice.https://t.co/yJFrPfAgfI

— TRAI (@TRAI) November 30, 2024

Telecom operators are submitting daily progress reports with message details that meet or fail the traceability requirements to ensure compliance.

TRAI remains firm on its directive to implement the system prioritising spam reduction while maintaining the smooth flow of essential communications.

FAQs

Q1. What is the new deadline for telecom operators to implement SMS traceability guidelines?

Answer. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has extended the deadline for implementing SMS traceability guidelines from November 30 to December 10.

Q2. What will happen if the PE-TM chain is not defined?

Answer. TRAI stated, “With effect from 11th December 2024, any traffic (messages) where the chain of Telemarketers is not defined or does not match with the pre-defined chain shall be rejected.”

Q3. What are the key requirements of the updated SMS traceability system?

Answer. As per TRAI statement, “The updated system requires telemarketers to define a Principal Entity (PE)-Telemarketer (TM) chain, enabling telecom operators to trace the origin of messages. Without compliance, telemarketers will be blocked from sending messages.”

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