TRAI issues guidelines to service providers to prevent missed calls from International numbers

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued direction to service providers regarding provision of ISD facility to prepaid subscribers to curb international missed calls, calls from international numbers on winning of prizes or lottery and inform customers through SMS at periodic intervals not to respond to missed calls from unknown international numbers. Under this directive, service providers should not activate ISD facilities for pre-paid subscribers without their consent. They should also inform the subscribers with ISD facility, through SMS, that ISD facility of the subscribers shall be discontinued after sixty days and need their consent to activate ISD facility before that. They should offer customers easier facilities to activate or deactivate ISD facilities. They should inform subscribers through SMS every 6 months not to respond to missed calls from unknown international numbers with prefix other than +91 or calls about winning prizes or lottery. Earlier this year Vodafone issued warning about unsolicited international calls, after people were charged Rs. 45 per minute if they call back to such numbers.