Parliament Question: Telecommunications Act, 2023

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2940 ANSWERED ON 5TH AUGUST, 2026 TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT, 2023 2940. SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB: SHRI DILESHWAR KAMAIT: Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state: (a) the details and the enforcement milestones of the Telecommunications Act, 2023, which replaces colonial-era laws to modernise the sector's regulatory framework; (b) whether the authorization-based regime streamlines administrative processes for providers and promotes innovation through the Regulatory Sandbox framework; (c) if so, the details and the status of the 2026 rules for principal, captive and miscellaneous services and Digital Bharat Nidhi's support for R&D, pilots and rural connectivity; and (d) the details of specific measures under the Act to enhance user protection such as mandatory consent for commercial messages and the details of the steps taken against cyber financial fraud and spam? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR) (a) In accordance with section 1(3), the Government has enforced various sections of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Act’) as follows: (i) sections 1,2, 10 to 30, 42 to 44, 46, 47, 50 to 58, 61 and 62 with effect from 26.6.2024; (ii) sections 6 to 8, 48 and 59(b) with effect from 5.7.2024; and (iii) sections 3(1) and 3(6) with effect from 23.6.2026. (b) & (c) The Act introduces a simplified authorisation regime, streamlined regulatory processes, and a digital-by-design implementation framework to enhance Ease of Doing Business. The Government has replaced the legacy licensing regime with a simplified authorisation framework under the Act by notifying the following: (i) Telecommunications (Authorisation for Provision of Principal Telecommunication Services) Rules, 2026 on 23.6.2026; (ii) Telecommunications (Authorisation for Provision of Miscellaneous Telecommunication Services) Rules, 2026 on 23.6.2026; (iii) Telecommunications (Authorisation for Captive Telecommunication Services) Rules, 2026 on 23.6.2026; (iv) Telecommunications (Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation) Rules, 2026; on 8.7.2026; and 1(v) Telecommunications (Authorisation for Telecommunication Network) Rules, 2026 on 20.7.2026. A unified digital Authorisation Portal has also been introduced for granting authorisations, migration from old to new regulatory regime, fee calculation and other regulatory processes, reducing procedural complexity and improving regulatory certainty. Further, the Act provides for the expansion of the Digital Bharat Nidhi to support universal connectivity, research and development, deployment of new communication technologies, and innovation through Regulatory Sandboxes, thereby promoting digital inclusion and future-ready telecom infrastructure across the country. (d) Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC) or spam are regulated by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India under Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018 (TCCCPR). TCCCPR has provisions, inter-alia, including for registration of sender & telemarketers, registration of preference for receiving Commercial Communications, complaint against UCC, measures against unregistered senders, AI-based spam detection, and dedicated numbering series. Further, Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has implemented multiple citizen-centric and technical measures, including the Sanchar Saathi platform for reporting suspected fraud communications and managing lost and stolen mobile handsets, the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) for secure stakeholder coordination, and systems to detect spoofed international calls. It has also introduced the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) to classify mobile numbers based on their likelihood of involvement in financial fraud. ***** 2