TRAI Issued SOP for Restoration of Disconnected Telecom Resources

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a direction dated 7th April 2025, introducing a Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) for restoring disconnected telecom resources due to alleged Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC), under Regulation 29 of the TCCCPR, 2018. 

Key Highlights of SOP: 

• Complainants (Senders/Principal Entity/Telemarketer) must submit a detailed representation within 60 days of action by the Access Provider, along with required declarations and supporting documents if denying any violation.

  
  

• As part of its preliminary review, TRAI requires the Sender to submit the quantity of telecom resources requested for restoration (such as 140XXX promotional numbers, 1600XX transactional/service numbers, and message headers), along with a corrective action plan outlining measures taken to prevent violations; if needed, TRAI may also seek additional documents or inputs from the Sender (Principal Entity/Telemarketer) or the concerned Access Provider. 

  
  

• If TRAI (Authority) finds that the Access Provider’s investigation lacks sufficient evidence, it may direct full restoration of telecom resources and removal from the blacklist, and may also warn the Access Provider for lack of due diligence. 

  
  

• Suppose the Sender (Principal Entity/Telemarketer) is found to be in violation, but restoration is deemed appropriate. In that case, TRAI may allow restoration upon payment of charges—₹5,000 per resource, capped at ₹5 lakh—within 15 working days. 

  
  

• Applications that do not meet the procedural or documentary requirements will be rejected, with the option to reapply after 60 days with full compliance. Once approved, TRAI will instruct Access Providers to restore resources (partially or fully), monitor usage, and assign new identifiers if needed. 

  
  

• TRAI reserves the right to revoke restored services and enforce enhanced monitoring if non-compliance is found after restoration. 

  
  

Conclusion:

The SOP issued by TRAI provides a clear mechanism for senders to seek restoration of telecom resources through proper documentation or applicable charges. Stakeholders are advised to carefully follow the process and timelines to ensure timely resolution.