Bharti Airtel has urged the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to accelerate a series of measures aimed at combating spam and online fraud occurring through over-the-top (OTT) platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal on telecom networks.
In a letter addressed to Anil Kumar Lahoti, chairman, TRAI, Airtel cautioned that there is a “significant risk” of spam migrating to OTT platforms, which are increasingly utilised for mainstream marketing and business communications.
The telco requested TRAI to quickly implement scrubbing for OTT platforms using blockchain-based distributor-ledger technology (DLT) and to establish a rigorous business verification process similar to telecom KYC protocols. Airtel also proposed that TRAI require OTT platforms to provide a database of blacklisted spammers to telecom companies and collaborate with them to create a unified anti-spam ecosystem that prevents spammers from switching between communication platforms.
Furthermore, Airtel called for the joint implementation of Digital Consent Acquisition (DCA) through a common channel by both telecom operators and OTT platforms, ensuring mobile users have a single centralised method to grant or withdraw consent for promotional communications. This initiative would prevent businesses from bypassing consent on either platform, as stated in Airtel’s letter.
The telco also noted that in the current landscape, telecom companies have limited influence over unsolicited communications since messaging occurs over the internet rather than traditional SMS channels.
