India’s telecom regulator, TRAI, is looking to tighten oversight of third-party call management apps after raising concerns that authorised commercial calls are being wrongly marked as spam.
The move could give the regulator legal backing to act against platforms such as Truecaller, Hiya and Whoscall if they fail to comply with existing telecom rules.
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Why does TRAI Want New Powers?
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has sought recognition as an “authorised agency” under the Information Technology (IT) Act.
At present, the regulator cannot directly act against internet-based call management platforms because they operate as intermediaries under the IT Act rather than as licensed telecom operators under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
The proposal has received support from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), with the DoT expected to take the next steps. Officials said the goal is not to regulate these apps as telecom providers but to ensure they comply with Indian regulations where applicable.
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Concern Over Spam Tagging of 1400 & 1600 Number Series
The dispute centres on calls originating from the 1400 and 1600 numbering series. These numbers are officially reserved for registered promotional and transactional commercial communications.
TRAI believes some call management apps have been tagging or blocking these calls as spam despite the numbers being designated for legitimate business and government communication. Officials argue that such practices can disrupt essential services, government outreach programmes and verified commercial communication.
The regulator also fears that if businesses lose confidence in these designated series, they may switch back to ordinary 10-digit mobile numbers for promotional calls. That, officials say, could make it harder for consumers to distinguish genuine commercial calls from actual spam, ultimately weakening efforts to curb unsolicited communication.
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Truecaller Responds to the Compliance Authority
Responding to the development, Truecaller said it already complies with TRAI’s directions regarding designated numbering series.
The company stated that even if users report large numbers from the 1400 or 1600 series as spam, the platform does not display spam labels or automatically block calls from those official series. It added that while it receives lakhs of spam reports against certain numbers, it follows the regulator’s mandate for these designated categories.
The proposal signals another milestone in India’s fight against spam calls and unwanted commercial communication. If approved, TRAI would gain greater legal authority to enforce compliance with digital call management platforms.
The move will reshape spam detection across India’s telecom ecosystem while balancing consumer protection with legitimate business communication.
Samarjit Kaur is a journalist and communications professional covering technology & emerging digital trends. With a focus on clarity and context, she reports on developments shaping industries and governance. When not reporting, she chooses to plug-in and relax on her playlists and plan her next bucket-list trips!
