In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Milind Deora, , Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology has said that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has asked operators to obtain a confirmation from consumers within 24 hours of activating a mobile value added service (VAS) via SMS, e-mail, fax or in writing. If the operator fails to contact the user, the VAS shall be de-activated without charging the consumer.
According to Deora, TRAI has received several complaints from consumers regarding activation of VAS, including ring tunes, on their handsets by operators, without their explicit consent. Between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011, TRAI had received 672 VAS-related complaints.
