TRAI caps A2P call termination charge at 5 paise per minute to fight spam
TRAI has introduced a termination charge of up to 5 paise per minute on Application-to-Person calls, with the final rate to be settled commercially between operators.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has moved to curb unsolicited and spam calls by introducing a termination charge of up to 5 paise per minute on Application-to-Person (A2P) calls. Under the new framework, the originating access provider will pay the charge to the terminating access provider.
The exact amount, however, has been left to commercial negotiation between the two sides, with 5 paise per minute set as the ceiling. TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti said the cap was drawn primarily from the termination charge already prescribed for commercial SMS. "The exact amount, of course, we have left to the commercial negotiation between the terminating access provider and the originating access provider," he said at a press briefing.
A2P calls are those placed through applications, software or automated systems rather than dialled directly by an individual. They include autodialled calls, robocalls and calls that use pre-recorded or artificial voice technologies.
Under the amended regulations, entities using A2P calls must inform their telecom service provider in advance and disclose the Calling Line Identities (CLIs) they intend to use. Any A2P call made without the required declaration will be treated as unsolicited commercial communication (UCC). Calls placed through numbering series specifically designated by TRAI for regulated commercial communications, as well as those authorised by the Authority, will be exempt from the termination charge.
The measures are part of TRAI's broader effort to strengthen its anti-spam framework. The regulator is deploying Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning tools to identify suspected UCC and help telecom operators act against such activity. Service providers will flag CLIs with a high probability of being used for UCC and share the information with other operators for further investigation.
If five or more CLIs linked to the same sender are flagged within 10 days, graded action can follow. This may include KYC re-verification, physical verification, barring of outgoing services and, in cases of repeated violations, disconnection of telecom resources. TRAI has also tightened safeguards against the misuse of headers and content templates used in commercial communications, seeking greater accountability from senders and telemarketers.
The amendments follow a consultation process that began with the draft Third Amendment Regulations issued in March 2026. Stakeholders submitted comments and counter-comments, and an Open House Discussion was held in June before the changes were finalised. Through the package, TRAI is combining technology, financial disincentives and stronger enforcement to reduce the volume of spam and unsolicited commercial calls reaching consumers.