Airtel Urges TRAI to Regulate WhatsApp and Other OTT Platforms to Combat Spam: Report

Airtel Urges TRAI to Regulate WhatsApp and Other OTTs to Combat Spam: Report
Bharti Airtel has urged the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to bring over-the-top (OTT) communication platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram under regulatory framework to curb increasing spam and financial fraud.

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Also Read: Spam, UCC Messages Find Their Way to Users Through RCS and OTT Apps?

Airtel’s Push for OTT Regulation

In a letter to TRAI, Airtel’s Vice-Chairman and MD, Gopal Vittal, proposed extending the digital consent acquisition (DCA) framework to OTT platforms, enforcing Know Your Customer (KYC) verification, and integrating them into a centralised spam blacklist, Moneycontrol reported.

“While regulatory efforts have significantly reduced spam and unsolicited commercial communication (UCC) over SMS and voice, fraudsters are increasingly shifting to OTT communication platforms, which currently operate with minimal oversight,” Vittal wrote, according to the report.

TRAI’s Latest Spam-Control Measures

Private telecom operators, including Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, have opposed TRAI’s latest spam-control measures, arguing they overlook critical concerns—particularly the exclusion of OTT platforms from regulation.

According to the report, telecom firms claim the rise in spam calls and messages through OTT platforms has led to a rise in financial fraud. During TRAI’s open house consultation, stakeholders urged for regulatory oversight on OTT communication services, warning that fraudsters exploit the regulatory gap, heightening risks of phishing, fraud, and security breaches.

Also Read: Menace of Promotional Calls and SMS: Mobile Number Not Required to Avail Services from Retailers

In a statement on February 17, telecom operators reportedly criticised the sharp increase in penalties for non-compliance, arguing that telemarketers, not telecom providers, are primarily responsible for most unsolicited commercial messages and should be held accountable.