The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has joined hands with various telecom operators to solve the issue of telemarketers using international websites to send commercial text messages.

According to Rajan S. Mathews, director general, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), telemarketers have started sending messages from servers located outside India which does not fall under the purview of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Meanwhile, TRAI has said that it has penalised 15 telemarketers to date and has issued notices to 900 individuals for violating the norms framed to curb unsolicited calls and SMSs.

TRAI?s regulation to curb such communications states that if an unsolicited commercial communication originates from a subscriber who is not registered with the regulator as a telemarketer, the service provider shall issue a disconnection notice to that subscriber.

It further states that the phone shall be disconnected if the subscriber continues to send such communications. In case registered telemarketers fail to comply with the regulations, TRAI has recommended imposing a penalty ranging between Rs 25,000 and Rs 0.25 million.