60 lakh mobile users register to avoid pesky calls

Nearly 60 lakh mobile subscribers have enrolled with the National-Do-Not-Call registry within just 10 days of its launch to avoid getting unsolicited sales calls from telemarketers.

Senior Trai officials said 59,39,845 users have registered with NDNC as on September 10 since the registry was opened on September 1. Besides, 15,418 telemarketers have registered with Department of Telecom as on September 10.

Although these numbers appear much less than the total of 19.5 crore mobile subscribers in the country, it reflects the growing number of people unhappy with the unsolicited calls from telemarketers, who are mainly from banks, credit card or insurance companies.

Mobile or landline subscribers who do not want to receive telemarketing calls can request their telephone

number be included in the NDNC registry. Trai had in June issued regulations on unsolicited commercial communication, which mandated that the NDNC registry be ready for operation from September 1.

The NDNC will be implemented in three phases. The regulation had prescribed a three-month time frame to establish the Registry. 

In the first phase of implementation, the NIC designed an online registration module for telemarketers. As on September 10, about 14,750 telemarketers having around 4.5-lakh telephone lines have applied with various telecom service providers for getting themselves registered with the DoT. The service providers are now verifying these telemarketers.

Once a telephone number is registered, it will take about 45 days for this mechanism to come into effect.