Photographs: Illustration, Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com Mansi Taneja in New Delhi
Telemarketing calls and short messaging services (SMSes) will continue into the New Year for mobile and landline subscribers.
Service providers have expressed inability to implement the recommendation of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) by January 1.
Pesky calls, SMSes will continue to disturb you
Image: Bad news for telephone subcribers.Photographs: Reuters.
The differences between the two could further delay things.
Pesky calls, SMSes will continue to disturb you
Image: More mobile users in India.Photographs: Reuters.
The telecom regulator had asked all service providers to put in place a system that would filter telemarketing calls and issue a separate series (70xxx) for all telemarketing lines. Trai had also put restrictions on SMSes to 100 per day.
Pesky calls, SMSes will continue to disturb you
Image: Deadline may be extended to next year.Photographs: Illustration, Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
On December 1, Trai had issued a set of recommendations to curb unwanted commercial calls effective January 1, 2011. It had also suggested imposition of penalty up to Rs 2.5 lakh on erring telemarketing companies.
Earlier, it was Rs 500-1,000.
Pesky calls, SMSes will continue to disturb you
Image: Operators seek time for technical upgrade.Pesky calls, SMSes will continue to disturb you
Image: Telemarketing calls to continue.Trai had come out with a fresh set of recommendations because the earlier "Do Not Call Registry" system did not make much of a difference.
Pesky calls, SMSes will continue to disturb you
Image: No hope in the New Year for subscribers.The new regulations said companies registered with DoT need to register themselves again with Trai.
"The power and function of Trai under Section 11 of the Trai Act 1997 is very clear and does not include licensing or registration functions," said a DoT official.
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