The telecoms regulator TRAI has ordered all telecoms companies to use artificial intelligence and machine learning-based systems to detect, identify and take action against senders of commercial communications who are not registered under the regulations.
All access providers have been requested to follow the instructions and report an updated status of the actions taken within 30 days.
In a statement on the direction question for the deployment of the artificial intelligence and machine learning-based Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC) detection system, TRAI explained that the companies that do not register with the access providers use ten-digit mobile numbers to send advertising communications via messages or calls is known as Unregistered Telemarketers (UTMs).
While a number of measures by TRAI to curb annoying messages have resulted in a decrease in complaints against registered telemarketers (RTMs), “UCC from unregistered telemarketers (UTMs) still exists.” The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) labeled annoying Calls and messages as the main cause of public inconvenience.
“Sometimes, through messages with fraudulent links and phone numbers, these unregistered telemarketers (UTMs) trick customers into sharing their critical information, resulting in financial losses for customers,” TRAI said.
In order to track, identify and take action against all these unregistered telemarketers, TRAI has requested access service providers to implement the “UCC_Detect System” with the required functionalities under the TRAI Customer Preference Provisions for Commercial Communications in the Telecommunications Sector 2018.
Access service providers have implemented such detection systems as appropriate and feasible.
However, “UTMs are constantly developing new techniques for sending unsolicited communications and current access service provider UCC detection systems are not fully capable of detecting such UCC,” TRAI said.
In order to ensure a consistent implementation of the UCC detection system, TRAI has instructed all access providers to deploy artificial intelligence and machine learning based UCC_Detect systems, which can constantly evolve to deal with new signatures, new patterns and new techniques that are not used by registered telemarketers.
Access providers were also instructed to share information with other access providers using distributed ledger technology or the DLT platform.
“Access providers have also been instructed to ensure that such a UCC_Detect system detects senders sending unsolicited commercial communications in bulk and not complying with the terms of the regulations,” the regulator said.
