TRAI ruling on unsolicited calls evokes mixed response

Mumbai, June 6 (UNI) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)'s decision to impose a fine of Rs 500 to curb the growing menace of unsolicited calls, has evoked mixed response from the service providers and banking institutions.

Mr T V Ramachandran, president of Cellular Operators of India which is an apex body of telecom service providers, welcomed the move and said it is a big step forward. It will go a long way in curbing the menace of unwanted commercial communications, he said.

According to an estimate, various telemarketing companies make more than 10 billion calls in a day, especially to mobile consumers, for promoting their vested business interests. The increase in telemarketing calls really took off after 2003 when incoming calls were made free.

''Especially banks promote these telemarketing calls for luring customers into their fold for their various schemes, but in the last years the trend has became rampant and this kind of step was necessitated by ridiculous use of commercial communication by fly-by-night operators,'' Mr Ramachandran said.

However, the effect of the TRAI decision will felt maximum by the banks who outsource their telemarketing calls to companies to promote their various schemes.

ICICI Bank spokesperson Charudutta Deshpande, while talking to UNI, said they are on the telemarketing business since a long time and strictly adhere to the DoT guidelines on do not call system.

For records, DoT has formulated seperate guidelines for telemarketers that requires them to register with DoT within three months or have a provisonal registration with telecom service providers. The defaulting telemarketer will face disconnection of telecom service.

Service providers are bit cautious on the regulator's move.

Reliance Comminications spokesperson Gaurav Wahi told UNI, ''It is a good step forward, but it is really difficult to trace the number of the telemarketers because by some unscrupulous means, they pick up the series of numbers and mobile operators can't do anything about it.'' UNI