TRAI blocks 148 crore spam calls in Q1 through DND verification

MUMBAI: Spam callers may still be dialling, but TRAI is making sure many never get through. The regulator’s latest numbers suggest India’s anti-spam firewall is working overtime, quietly disconnecting billions of unwanted interruptions before they reach consumers.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said telecom operators blocked 148 crore promotional calls during the April-June quarter of FY27 after verifying them against subscribers’ Do Not Disturb (DND) preferences, underscoring the growing role of its dedicated 140 numbering series in tackling unsolicited commercial communications.

According to data released by the regulator, 1,316 crore promotional calls originated through the 140 series during the quarter. Of these, 148 crore calls were blocked after being screened against customers’ DND preferences before reaching their phones.

The regulator also revealed that registered telemarketers and businesses sent 24,806 crore commercial SMS during the period. After applying DND filters, telecom operators blocked 730 crore promotional messages, preventing them from being delivered to consumers who had opted out of such communications.

Meanwhile, 115 crore calls originated from the designated 1600 numbering series, which is reserved for service and transactional communications from the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector, as well as government-to-citizen services.

TRAI said the 140 series was introduced to ensure that promotional calls originate only from a dedicated number range, allowing consumers to instantly recognise marketing calls and decide whether to answer them. Before these calls are connected, operators verify them against customers’ registered DND preferences.

The 1600 series, on the other hand, has been earmarked for trusted service communications, including banking alerts, transaction confirmations, fraud warnings and government notifications. According to the regulator, the two dedicated numbering series improve transparency, strengthen consumer confidence and enhance enforcement against spam and fraudulent communications.

The latest figures come just weeks after TRAI intensified its scrutiny of caller identification platforms over their handling of 140 and 1600 series calls.

Last month, the regulator approached the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) seeking action against Truecaller, alleging that the app was tagging or enabling the blocking of legitimate calls originating from the 1600 series. TRAI argued that such practices could discourage users from answering genuine banking calls, including fraud alerts and transaction verification requests, potentially disrupting critical financial communications.

The regulator also raised similar concerns regarding caller identification platforms including Hiya and Whoscall, alleging that they were labelling or facilitating the blocking of calls from the regulated 140 and 1600 numbering series.

Truecaller has disputed the regulator’s position. India CEO Rishit Jhunjhunwala argued that restricting community-reported spam indicators for 140 and 1600 numbers had reduced consumer trust and inadvertently increased spam-related concerns. The company said it would continue engaging with both TRAI and MeitY while sharing additional data to support its stance.

As India’s battle against spam intensifies, TRAI appears determined to ensure that trusted numbers remain trustworthy—while making unsolicited callers increasingly easy to ignore.