Telemarketers thumb nose at government

Out of an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 telemarketers, only about 13,000 have registered with the telecom service providers till date, according the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). And, only 5.5 million phone subscribers, out of a total base of around 232.87 million as of end of July, have included their names in the do-not-call list so far.

TRAI had a review meeting with the telecom service providers on Wednesday, to assess the level of industry compliance with the government directive on curbing unsolicited commercial communication.

Although telemarketers from across the country were given time till August 31 to register with the service providers, more than 50 per cent of them are yet to comply. According to sources at TRAI, not more than 20,000 telemarketers are expected to register.

However, TRAI chairman Nripendra Misra pointed out that 13,000 telemarketers would mean 2.5 lakh phone lines have been registered already. "This is because every telemarketer calls up people like you and me from multiple phone numbers," he said.

As for phone subscribers opting for do-not-call facility, it is believed that many of the 5.5 million (the figure given by the industry) may have earlier subscribed to the "do-not-disturb" facility offered by telcos for blocking calls and SMSes originating only from one's own telecom service provider, and not from all telemarketers, as directed by the government.

According to the Department of Telecommunications, any mobile or landline subscriber, who does not wish to receive telemarketing calls, can request their telephone number be included in the national do not call (NDNC) registry.

Such requests are sent through their telecom service providers, which will be stored in the National Do Not Call Registry, established from September 2007. Subscribers can make a 'Do Not Call' request via letter, phone, SMS or on-line. Such a request is free of cost.

Security conditions and government scrutiny are being cited as among the reasons for the slow progress in registration for telemarketers. It is believed that mostly big firms have registered so far.

While telemarketers were asked by the government to register with the telecom service providers by the end of August, in an attempt to restrict unsolicited commercial communication, registration of phone subscribers for the national do not call registry started from September.

Meanwhile, the telemarketers that do not register may continue to make unsolicited calls.