TRAI DND Rules: A Guide for Telemarketing Teams

India's Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI) regulates unsolicited commercial communication through the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations. For any team that calls or messages prospects, understanding these rules is essential. This is a general overview; refer to the latest TRAI notifications for current requirements.

What is the DND registry?

The National Customer Preference Register, commonly called the DND registry, lets telecom subscribers block commercial communication fully or by category. Contacting a registered number in a blocked category can lead to complaints and penalties for the sender.

Scrub before every campaign

Preferences change frequently, so a list that was clean last month may not be clean today. Scrub your calling and SMS lists against the registry before each campaign, not just once at purchase.

Use registered headers and templates

Commercial SMS must be sent through registered entities, headers and content templates on the operators' distributed ledger platforms. Work with a compliant SMS provider and keep your templates up to date.

Calling from the right numbers

Telemarketing calls should originate from number series designated for commercial communication, and callers should identify the company clearly at the start of the call.

Respect timing and frequency

Call during reasonable business hours and avoid repeated calls to the same number in a short period. Record opt-out requests and update your CRM immediately so no one on your team calls that number again.

Building a compliant routine

• Scrub every list against DND before use.
• Use registered headers and templates for SMS.
• Identify your company at the start of every call.
• Maintain a central do-not-contact list.
• Train new team members on these rules in their first week.

Compliance protects your sender reputation, your brand and your prospects' trust. Make it a standard step in your campaign checklist.