Reverification of headers & content templates by principal entities under TCCCPR-2018

According to the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR) of 2018 by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), various entities such as banks, financial institutions, insurance companies, trading companies, and business entities are allowed to send commercial messages to telecom subscribers through SMS. These entities are known as Principal Entities (Pes).

To ensure compliance with the regulations, commercial communications can only be sent using registered Headers assigned to the Pes. A Header refers to an alphanumeric string assigned to the Pes for sending commercial communications.

Pes are required to register content templates with the Access Providers. Any commercial communication through SMS must be checked against the registered content template, and if it fails to match, the SMS is not delivered to the consumers.

However, TRAI has observed instances where Pes have registered a large number of Headers and Content Templates, and some of these have been misused by telemarketers. In order to address this issue, TRAI issued a direction on February 16, 2023, mandating the reverification of all registered Headers and Content Templates on the DLT platform. It was directed that all unverified Headers and Message Templates should be blocked within 30 and 60 days respectively from the date of the direction.

TRAI also reached out to regulatory bodies such as RBI, SEBI, NHA, and all Central/State Government Departments in February 2023, requesting their cooperation in sensitizing institutions and departments under their jurisdiction that send bulk SMS. They were requested to take necessary actions to ensure that Headers and message templates are not misused.

However, many Pes have not yet completed the verification process for their Headers and Content Templates. This delay poses a risk of potential misuse and inconvenience to the public in the form of spam and financial frauds.

To avoid further complications, Pes are urged to promptly complete the verification process for their Headers and Content Templates. Failure to do so may result in the blocking of Headers, Content Templates, and messages. TRAI will review the progress in the next two weeks and may issue appropriate directions if required. It is essential for all Pes to take immediate action to verify their Headers and Content Templates.