The Ministry of Communications announced that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) Telecommunications Commercial Communications Consumers Preference Regulations, 2018 (TCCCPR-2018) addresses Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC), or spam. TCCCPR-2018 includes provisions for telecom subscribers to register preferences for commercial communication, enabling them to block all or selectively block commercial communications by preference categories, and to register complaints against UCC senders via a mobile app, SMS to short code 1909, or by calling 1909. The regulations also provide for blacklisting registered entities and telemarketers who violate TCCCPR-2018, and for actions against Unregistered Telemarketers (UTMs), including warnings, usage caps, or disconnection for repeated violations. Financial Disincentives (FDs) are in place for access service providers who fail to curb UCC. A TCCCPR 2018 amendment on February 12, 2025, extended the complaint window for UCC from 3 to 7 days, reduced the action time limit for access providers against unregistered senders from 30 to 5 days, and strengthened the criteria for action against UCC senders. Access service providers are mandated to promote consumer awareness regarding procedures for preference registration, consent revocation, complaint submission, UCC reporting, and the potential consequences of UCC involvement, such as telecom resource disconnection. This information was provided by the Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Communications: The Indian government ministry responsible for telecommunications and commercial communications.
Telecommunications Commercial Communications Consumers Preference Regulations, 2018: Regulations issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to manage Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC) or spam.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India: The regulatory body responsible for the telecommunications sector in India.
Unsolicited Commercial Communication: Commercial communications that the recipient has not requested (spam).
1909: Short code and phone number for registering complaints against senders of Unsolicited Commercial Communication.
Rajya Sabha: The upper house of the Parliament of India, where a question related to UCC was addressed.
Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar: Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development who provided information regarding UCC regulations.
Delhi: Location of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) that posted the information.
Ministry of Communications
Telecommunications Commercial Communications
Consumers Preference Regulations, 2018 deals with
Unsolicited Commercial Communication or spam
Posted On: 07 AUG 2025 3:21PM by PIB Delhi
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) Regulations, viz. Telecommunications Commercial
Communications Consumers Preference Regulations, 2018 (TCCCPR-2018), deals with Unsolicited
Commercial Communication (UCC) or spam. TCCCPR-2018 has provisions for:
i. Registering preferences for commercial communication where a telecom subscriber can opt to block all
commercial communications or can selectively block commercial communications as per preference
categories and registering complaint against senders of UCC through Mobile App, sending SMS to short
code 1909 and calling on 1909.
ii. Blacklisting of registered entities and telemarketers for violation of TCCCPR-2018.
iii. Action against Unregistered Telemarketer (UTM) such as giving a warning, putting them under usage
cap or disconnecting in case of repeated violations.
iv. Financial Disincentives (FDs) against the access service providers for failing to curb UCC.
Further, TRAI has amended the TCCCPR- 2018 on 12.02.2025 which has, inter-alia, following provisions:
i. A customer can now make a complaint about UCC within 7 days of receiving spam as compared to
earlier 3-day time limit.
ii. Time limit for taking action by the access providers against the UCC from unregistered senders has been
reduced from 30 days to 5 days.
iii. To ensure prompt action against the senders of UCC, the criterion for taking action against them has
been revised and made more stringent.
TCCCPR-2018 Regulations mandate every access service providers to work for consumer awareness, inter-
alia, including following:
i. Procedures for registering preferences, registering & revoking of consent.
ii. Making complaints, providing information or reporting UCC.
iii. Informing consumers regarding not to involve in UCC & action in case of violation like disconnection
of telecom resources.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, Dr.
Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha.
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Samrat / Allen
(Release ID: 2153527)