TRAI Updates Spam Rules, Requires Apps to Share Data with Telcos

India's telecom regulator has overhauled its anti-spam rules, mandating that caller-ID apps share user reports with telecom operators and bringing automated calls under stricter oversight. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, or TRAI, announced the amendments to its Unsolicited Commercial Communications framework on September 18, 2026, aiming to curb the growing menace of spam and fraudulent calls. Under the new regulations, telecom service providers must use artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify numbers likely used for spam and share this information across networks. If five or more numbers from a sender are flagged within ten days, authorities will initiate investigations that could lead to service disconnection. The rules also define Application-to-Person calls, including robocalls and prerecorded messages, requiring entities to predeclare their use to telecom operators. Undeclared A2P calls will be treated as spam, and a termination charge of up to 0.05 paise per minute will apply, with exemptions for certain designated number ranges.