The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has tightened regulations governing call management applications such as Truecaller, barring them from allowing users to flag calls as spam or junk unless the data is shared with the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) platform maintained by telecom operators.

Under the new measures announced on Friday, September 18, call management applications will also not be allowed to block, filter or tag as spam calls originating from the 1600 and 140 number series.

The move is significant for apps such as Truecaller, which have previously claimed that their users flagged several calls from the 1600 and 140 number series as spam.

Truecaller has also previously said it complied with earlier directions to unblock calls from the 1600 and 140 series. However, the company introduced a badge that flagged such calls based on user feedback.

The latest measures are part of TRAI’s broader efforts to strengthen regulations against spam calls and messages.

Under the new rules, commercial communication based on a consumer’s inquiry about a product or service will be permitted only for seven days from the date of the inquiry.

TRAI has also mandated that all automated or robocalls using pre-recorded voice messages must carry a “pre-declaration”. Automated calls without this declaration will be treated as spam.

Also read: India tightens anti-spam rules: 7-day limit on commercial calls, robocalls face charges

To further deter such robocalls, TRAI has introduced a termination charge of ₹0.05 per call.

The new measures are aimed at tightening controls around commercial communications and curbing unwanted calls and messages.

First Published: 

Sept 18, 2026 2:53 PM

IST