If we take into account latest developments, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has been taking a number of measures to make sure the protected transmission of textual content messages, together with making certain full tracing of the senders of economic messages. The primary objective of the telecom ecosystem, together with regulators and telecom operators, is to curb spam messages and Unsolicited Industrial Communication (UCC) despatched to finish shoppers through telecom community assets.
Additionally Learn: TRAI Extends Deadline for Industrial Message Traceability to December 10, 2024
TRAI, DoT Efforts to Curb SPAM
To reinforce message traceability, TRAI issued a route on August 20, 2024, mandating that each one business messages from senders to recipients should be traceable from November 1, 2024. In keeping with the Ministry of Communications, with impact from December 11, 2024, any visitors (messages) the place the chain of telemarketers shouldn’t be outlined or doesn’t match the pre-defined chain shall be rejected.
Airtel AI Spam Administration Resolution
That mentioned, all efforts are being made by the communications ministry (DoT, TRAI) and telecom operators to scale back spam, whether or not it’s calls or SMS, and guarantee a clear and protected expertise for purchasers availing telecom companies. Contemplating the efforts from telecom operators, Airtel was the primary telco in India to launch an AI-powered community answer for spam detection, which, in keeping with the corporate’s claims, will considerably tackle the difficulty of spam calls and messages for its prospects.
Additionally Learn: Airtel Launches AI-Powered Community Resolution for Spam Detection
BSNL AI/ML Spam Administration Resolution
The answer will alert prospects in real-time to all suspected spam calls and SMS. The answer is freed from cost and shall be routinely activated for all Airtel prospects with out them having to lift a service request or obtain an app. This was adopted by state-owned telecom operator BSNL, which introduced and launched its AI/ML-powered answer to curb spam communications on its cellular community. BSNL demonstrated its spam detection community, which not solely alerts customers but additionally blocks spam at IMC 2024.
Additionally Learn: BSNL Showcases Computerized Buyer Acquisition and SIM Merchandising Machine at IMC2024
Vi AI/ML Spam Administration Resolution
The third-largest telecom operator, Vodafone Concept, additionally introduced on December 2 the rollout of a spam administration answer powered by synthetic intelligence (AI) and machine studying (ML) to guard its customers from spam SMS threats. In keeping with Vodafone Concept, this real-time system identifies and flags potential spam, corresponding to phishing hyperlinks and unauthorised promotions, enhancing consumer security and delivering a clutter-free cellular expertise.
Additionally Learn: Vodafone Concept Launches AI-Powered Spam SMS Identification Resolution
Spam discovering New Methods to Attain Customers?
Nevertheless, regardless of all of the efforts from telecom operators on the community stage, spam messages—advertising and marketing communications or undesirable, unrequested communications from manufacturers—are starting to sneak into customers’ units through RCS (Wealthy Communication Companies) and over-the-top (OTT) platforms corresponding to WhatsApp, Telegram and different apps on telecom networks.
In our expertise, we have now already witnessed unsolicited business or spam communications being despatched to customers through WhatsApp or RCS on the Android platform.
Moreover, we’re seeing makes an attempt to not directly make prospects allow RCS on cellular platforms, making certain that this mode of communication is activated. Whatever the intention, we imagine an expressway for communication with finish customers is being created.
Additionally Learn: TRAI Dismisses Considerations Over OTP Supply Delays Amid New Traceability Tips
Restricted Scope of DND
Since TRAI and telcos’ efforts are directed towards SMS, and thru DND, a consumer can solely complain about spam or UCC to the community supplier, there isn’t a approach for an finish consumer to complain about communication obtained via these exterior modes, that are exterior the scope of the telecom operator. Though these communications (through RCS/OTT) leverage telecom assets, they fall exterior the scope or purview of the telecom operator, leaving shoppers with no option to elevate a grievance or request.
WhatsApp Enterprise Platform Strikes
To encourage extra companies to ship communications to prospects through WhatsApp, Meta has lately made customer support messaging free for companies, making it the most affordable channel for enterprise communication. This transfer goals to boost AI chatbot interactions and improve its market share in India, which is at present dominated by conventional SMS.
“We’re making updates to pricing on the WhatsApp Enterprise Platform,” WhatsApp Enterprise mentioned on its web site, noting, “Efficient November 1, 2024, service conversations are free to encourage companies to be obtainable for his or her prospects on WhatsApp, together with through AI-enabled conversational experiences.”
WhatsApp has up to date the pricing on the WhatsApp Enterprise Platform to simplify it, making service conversations free beginning November 1, 2024. Efficient February 1, 2025, WhatsApp Enterprise plans to increase authentication worldwide charges to seven extra markets throughout APAC and EMEA.
Vodafone Concept Partnership with Google for RCS
Vodafone Concept, in February 2024, cast a partnership with Google, turning into the primary Indian telecom operator to companion with Google to supply RCS messaging to enterprise shoppers in India, utilising Google’s Jibe Cloud platform. Google’s RCS helps high-quality pictures and movies, learn receipts, enhanced group messaging, and encryption for chats.
Vi Partnership with Vi Enterprise
In Could 2024, Dotgo, a supplier of Wealthy Communication Companies (RCS), introduced a strategic partnership with Vi Enterprise, the enterprise arm of Vi. Below this partnership, Dotgo has been providing its Messaging as a Platform (MaaP) answer to handle companies for Vi Enterprise, serving to monetise RCS enterprise messaging (RBM) companies nationwide.
Wealthy Communication Companies or RCS is a wealthy, interactive, two-way conversational messaging function obtainable inside the native messaging app on Android telephones. Enterprises use RCS for buyer engagement, consciousness, and assist. Vi is the one supplier of ‘Wealthy Enterprise Messaging’ service in India, and Dotgo’s MaaP answer has been empowering its prospects by delivering RCS enterprise messages, Dotgo mentioned in an announcement.
Wealthy Enterprise Messaging companies powered by Google RCS and Dotgo’s MaaP answer have been built-in into Vi, enabling the supply of RCS enterprise messages to all cellular subscribers in India.
COAI Complaints to Telecom Ministry
As per experiences, earlier, the Mobile Operators Affiliation of India (COAI), which represents India’s prime three telecom firms—Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Vodafone Concept (Vi)—despatched a letter to the telecom ministry accusing international know-how giants, corresponding to Microsoft and Amazon, of “presumably circumventing and bypassing the authorized telecom route” through the use of WhatsApp to ship enterprise messages to prospects. The letter claimed that this prompted a possible Rs 3,000 crore annual income loss to each the Centre and the service suppliers.
Nevertheless, the identical telcos use WhatsApp to ship their business communications to customers. For instance, the third-largest operator Vodafone Concept, via its SMS communications, shares WhatsApp URLs with its customers to avail companies through WhatsApp, not directly selling a third-party OTT platform.
Conclusion
Regardless of efforts to curb unsolicited promotional calls and SMS, shoppers nonetheless obtain such messages from unknown numbers. One of many primary causes for this downside is the widespread sharing of non-public contact numbers with out correct diligence. The Authorities of India, via the Ministry of Client Affairs, has issued tips to deal with the difficulty of outlets requiring prospects to share their cellular numbers in opposition to their will. Despite the fact that rules are in place, many retailers nonetheless ask for cellular numbers for billing and repair provision. There are possibilities that your data could leak from any events or actors concerned in dealing with buyer personal knowledge.
Additionally Learn: Menace of Promotional Calls and SMS: Cellular Quantity Not Required to Avail Companies from Retailers
Client Affairs Ministry Tips
The Ministry of Client Affairs issued tips in Could 2023 relating to the utilization and sharing of non-public contact data for retail purchasing, aiming to learn customers and safeguard their privateness. The Ministry issued an advisory instructing retailers to not require prospects’ private contact data or cell phone numbers as a compulsory situation for offering sure companies.
On one hand, the telecom ecosystem is making an attempt to repair points with spam and UCC by deploying blockchain know-how and AI/ML companies. Then again, an entire new freeway to succeed in prospects is being opened through OTT or RCS platforms. Thus, the accountability of safeguarding in opposition to spam or deceptive communications additionally falls on the patron, and it would not finish with boasting about or sustaining a cellular service related to high-speed networks. The extra superior connectivity turns into, the extra careless or unaware a shopper is, and the upper the probabilities of the shopper being exploited and falling for fraud or rip-off practices.
Client Accountability in Stopping Spam
The one possibility obtainable to prospects, for now, is to dam or report spam whereas not understanding the standing of such complaints or experiences, particularly relating to OTT platforms. Nevertheless, spam communications proceed to succeed in smartphones from completely different accounts or numbers. Due to this fact, the one selection for shoppers is to make sure they do not deal with their cellular quantity as public data and cease sharing it carelessly.
We imagine a cellular quantity is private data, and shoppers should be cautious about not sharing it unnecessarily in every single place, particularly when they’re uncertain about the place it’s being particularly used.
