Overview
- On Friday, September 18, 2026, TRAI issued a formal amendment to the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations to bring AI/ML spam detection and automated Application‑to‑Person calling into the rules.
- TRAI defined A2P calls as calls started by software or apps, including autodialling, robocalls and AI‑generated voice, and requires entities to pre‑declare the numbers they use to their telecom service provider or face spam classification.
- New enforcement triggers let telcos act faster: three unique consumer complaints in 10 days combined with an AI flag can prompt checks, and five or more flagged numbers tied to one sender in 10 days can trigger KYC re‑checks, physical verification and graded penalties.
- Telcos may levy a termination charge of up to ₹0.05 per minute on undeclared A2P calls while designated commercial series (140xx, 1600xx, 1601xx) and TRAI‑authorised calls remain exempt from blanket spam tagging and this charge.
- Call‑management apps must share spam reports with telcos and are barred from blanket blocking of the designated series, consumers gain a 15‑day right to appeal complaint outcomes, and the immediate next steps are technical rollouts and coordination between telcos, apps and senders.