Telecom operators including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea Limited, and BSNL have received temporary relief from paying around Rs 1.41 billion in penalties levied by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for failing to curb spam. The Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has adjourned the case to August 8, 2025 and directed TRAI to file an affidavit detailing its position.
The penalties, imposed under the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR), 2018, were contested by the telcos, who argued that enforcement was premature as the anti-spam digital consent acquisition (DCA) platform was still being rolled out. TDSAT had stayed the penalties earlier in January 2025, noting that delays were beyond the operators’ control, particularly due to covid-related disruptions.
Despite TRAI’s request to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to encash bank guarantees to recover the dues, the DoT has not acted. Telcos maintain that unless over-the-top (OTT) players and telemarketers are also brought under the regulatory ambit, spam cannot be effectively curtailed.
