Hitting out at companies and individuals indulging in unsolicited commercial calls, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) imposed a fine of more than Rs. 2 crore on telemarketers, and disconnected nine lakh phone numbers and blacklisted more than 1.74 lakh unregistered individuals for making pesky calls and SMS in 2013. The regulator has also penalised telecom operators for failing to maintain quality of services (QoS).
“The number of complaints [making pesky calls] has come down from 50,000 a month to about 11,000… Financial disincentive of Rs.2.15 crore was imposed on telemarketers in the last four months alone (of 2013). About nine lakh telecom resources were disconnected…,” TRAI Adviser (QoS) A. Robert Jerard Ravi told journalists here on Wednesday.
