The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has sought additional legal powers under the Information Technology (IT) Act to take action against call management applications such as Truecaller, Hiya and Whoscall for allegedly misclassifying legitimate commercial calls as spam.
According to officials familiar with the matter, the regulator wants to be notified as an authorised agency under the IT Act, enabling it to direct compliance from digital platforms that currently operate outside its direct regulatory jurisdiction. TRAI believes that several calls originating from the designated 1400-series for promotional communication and 1600-series for transactional communication are being incorrectly labelled or blocked, affecting businesses, banks and service providers trying to reach customers with genuine updates.
The proposal forms part of the regulator’s wider effort to strike a balance between protecting consumers from spam and ensuring they continue to receive important commercial communications.
Why TRAI Wants Greater Regulatory Powers
TRAI’s latest proposal stems from concerns that third-party call management applications, while helping users identify and filter spam calls, have increasingly begun flagging legitimate business calls as unwanted. Under the current regulatory framework, these applications function as intermediaries under the Information Technology Act rather than as telecom service providers, placing them beyond TRAI’s direct enforcement powers.
Officials familiar with the development told The Economic Times that the telecom regulator has sought to be designated as an authorised agency under the IT Act so it can issue directions to these platforms whenever legitimate commercial communications are being wrongly categorised. According to the regulator, the issue particularly affects calls originating from officially designated 1400- and 1600-series numbers, which are reserved for promotional and transactional communications respectively.
Transactional calls include essential messages from banks, insurance companies, hospitals, airlines, courier services and utility providers, while promotional calls are used by businesses to inform customers about products and services. Officials believe that when such calls are inaccurately labelled as spam, consumers may miss time-sensitive updates such as banking alerts, one-time passwords, delivery notifications, appointment reminders or travel information. Businesses, meanwhile, argue that repeated spam labelling affects their ability to communicate with customers despite complying with telecom regulations.
The regulator’s proposal is therefore aimed at ensuring greater accountability among digital platforms while maintaining consumers’ ability to identify genuinely suspicious or fraudulent calls.
Part Of India’s Broader Fight Against Spam Calls
The latest move is part of TRAI’s ongoing efforts to strengthen India’s framework against unsolicited commercial communication. Over the past few years, the regulator has introduced several measures designed to reduce spam calls and fraudulent telemarketing while making commercial communication more transparent.
These initiatives include stricter registration norms for telemarketers, mandatory use of designated numbering series, blockchain-based consent management systems and tighter monitoring of telecom operators that fail to curb unsolicited communications. Telecom companies have also been directed to strengthen caller verification mechanisms and identify entities that misuse telecom networks for spam or scam-related activities.
Despite these measures, spam calls remain one of the biggest consumer complaints in India. Many smartphone users increasingly rely on applications such as Truecaller, Hiya and Whoscall to identify unknown callers and automatically filter suspected spam. These applications typically use community-generated reports, machine learning models and large databases to classify incoming calls.
However, according to TRAI officials, these platforms can sometimes incorrectly identify legitimate commercial numbers as spam, even when they belong to organisations complying with telecom regulations. Since the applications operate under the IT Act rather than telecom licensing rules, TRAI currently has limited authority to intervene directly.
Industry observers note that the regulator’s request for additional powers reflects the growing overlap between telecom services and digital platforms. As communication increasingly shifts beyond traditional telecom infrastructure, regulators are attempting to address accountability gaps that arise when multiple legal frameworks govern different parts of the communication ecosystem.
The proposal does not seek to prohibit call management applications. Instead, it aims to create a mechanism through which the regulator can ensure greater accuracy in caller classification and encourage platforms to distinguish more effectively between legitimate commercial communication and unsolicited spam.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
India’s battle against spam calls is both necessary and urgent. Millions of people receive fraudulent calls every day, making caller identification applications an important tool for consumer protection. At the same time, legitimate businesses, hospitals, banks and public service providers also need reliable channels to communicate essential information with citizens. Any solution that weakens either objective risks creating new problems while solving existing ones.
A balanced regulatory framework should therefore prioritise transparency, accountability and user rights. Digital platforms should clearly explain how calls are classified, provide timely mechanisms to correct incorrect spam labels and remain accountable for repeated inaccuracies. Likewise, businesses must continue following strict consent-based communication practices and avoid excessive promotional calling that contributes to consumer frustration.
Ultimately, protecting citizens from scams should not come at the cost of blocking genuine communication, just as commercial convenience should never override consumer privacy. Building trust will require cooperation between regulators, telecom operators, technology companies and consumer groups rather than conflict between them. Do you think India needs stricter regulation of caller identification apps, or should users have the final say in deciding which calls they choose to trust?
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India's telecom regulator, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, has sought powers under the IT Act to act against call management apps such as Truecaller, Hiya and Whoscall. The regulator says these platforms are incorrectly tagging or blocking calls from official 140 and 1600… pic.twitter.com/xheZpFnSZC
— The Logical Indian (@LogicalIndians) July 6, 2026
