TRAI urges entities to verify headers & content templates to prevent misuse & fraudulent activities

New Delhi: To curb the misuse of commercial messages sent to telecom subscribers, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a strong directive to Principal Entities (Pes) such as banks, financial institutions, insurance companies, trading companies, and other business entities, said the Ministry of Communications in a statement on Thursday. TRAI has mandated that all commercial communications must be sent using registered Headers assigned to the Pes, which are alphanumeric strings allocated under the TCCCPR, 2018 regulations, it added.

Pes are required to register content templates with Access Providers

To ensure compliance, Pes are required to register content templates with Access Providers. These templates serve as a basis for scrubbing SMS messages against registered content, ensuring only authorised messages are delivered to consumers. However, TRAI has identified instances where some Pes have registered a large number of Headers and Content Templates, leading to potential misuse by unscrupulous telemarketers.

TRAI instructed Pes to reverify all registered headers and templates

In response to these concerns, TRAI, through its Direction dated February 16 has instructed Pes to reverify all registered Headers and Content Templates on the DLT platform. Pes has been given a deadline of 30 days to complete the re-verification process for Headers and 60 days for Content Templates. Failure to comply with these directives may result in the blocking of unverified Headers, Content Templates, and messages.

Recognising the severity of the issue, TRAI reached out to regulatory bodies such as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the National Health Authority (NHA), as well as all Central and State Government Departments. TRAI requested these entities to sensitise institutions and departments under their purview that send bulk SMS messages, emphasising the importance of adhering to the verification process to prevent the misuse of Headers and Content Templates.

Many Pes have yet to complete the verification process

TRAI has observed that many Pes have yet to complete the verification process for their Headers and Content Templates. This delay leaves the assigned Headers and Templates vulnerable to potential misuse, which could inconvenience the public with spam messages and lead to financial frauds, said the statement.

TRAI has urged Pes to expedite the verification process

To address the situation, TRAI has urged Pes to expedite the verification process for Headers and Content Templates without further delay. Failure to do so may result in the blocking of their Headers, Content Templates, and messages. TRAI has announced that a review of the progress will take place within the next two weeks, and appropriate directions may be issued if necessary, the statement added.

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