TRAI's new rule for OTP message traceability has officially kicked in today, and it's set to provide significant benefits for the country's 1.2 billion mobile users. This regulation was introduced by the telecom authority to help combat fraud that occurs through SMS messages. Initially scheduled for rollout on November 1, the implementation faced delays due to requests from telecom operators and a need for further preparation, pushing the deadline to December 10. Now, it’s finally in effect.
So, what exactly is this OTP message traceability rule?
In simple terms, it means that tracing the sender of any commercial message will become easy. This will help block fraudulent messages from reaching users' phones right from the network. With this system in place, if a message is sent by a scammer, it will be prevented from being delivered. This way, the risk of falling victim to scams will be reduced, and telecom companies will need to know the complete path of every message that arrives on your phone.
Previously, TRAI had already put rules in place to stop unsolicited communications. This means that any messages from unverified sources—especially those containing suspicious links—would be blocked. Similarly, unwanted commercial calls from unknown numbers would also be stopped.
Given the dramatic rise in online scams in India, with reports indicating a staggering increase of up to 3,000 percent in such cases, these measures are crucial.
You might wonder if this new rule will cause delays in receiving One-Time Passwords (OTPs) for transactions. TRAI has clarified that there should be no delays; this was just a misunderstanding. However, some telecom companies raised concerns about being fully ready for the changes. Despite these concerns, reports suggest that 95 percent of messages are being delivered without delays, with only a small percentage potentially affected. Over time, even those will be sorted out.
As of late November, around 27,000 companies had registered with telecom operators under the new rule. Efforts are ongoing to register the remaining businesses. Each day, approximately 1.5 to 1.7 billion commercial messages are sent to millions of users across India. With the new rules, users should have no issues receiving messages from legitimate, registered companies, while messages from those that are unregistered will be blocked. Overall, this initiative aims to enhance user safety and reduce spam.
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