Telecom companies like Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Vodafone-Idea have introduced new SMS suffixes that appear before the sender’s name. These labels—like ‘P’ for promotional or ‘T’ for transactional- help mobile users easily recognize whether a message is genuine or spam.
However, industry experts raised concerns that spammers are now switching to internet-based messaging apps, such as over-the-top (OTT) platforms, to bypass these regulations. This harms the efforts to control spam and scam messages.
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents mobile network providers, pointed out that OTT messaging services remain largely unregulated. According to COAI’s Director General, SP Kochhar, the success of spam control measures depends on the entire communication space being governed, not just SMS.
Telecom providers have conformed with the latest regulatory update, which requires all messages to be marked as promotional (‘P’), service-related (‘S’), transactional (‘T’), or government (‘G’). This system helps users identify the nature of each message, reduces unwanted texts, and builds more trust between telecom providers and customers.
According to Kochhar, the implementation of this categorization is already helping strengthen compliance across businesses that depend on SMS to connect with customers. It’s also expected to reduce the risk of scams by making it harder for scammers to hide harmful links or fake alerts as genuine communication.
He, however, expressed concern as spammers and scamsters continue to take the route of messaging apps, which remain unregulated.
“The concerns persist regarding the use of OTT Communication services for increasing spam and fraud messages, as the success of any consent framework or spam mitigation measure is incomplete if large parts of the communication ecosystem remain unregulated.
This regulatory gap is increasingly being exploited, with a growing share of scams and unsolicited promotions now originating on OTT apps, adding to customer woes,” Kochhar said.
The COAI has advised regulators to introduce a unified support that covers both telecom and OTT platforms. Without such measures, industry experts warn that the fight against spam and fraud will remain incomplete.
As of now, telecom service providers remain committed to enforcing the updated TCCCPR guidelines and continuing their efforts to ensure safe and reliable communication for all users. But the rising influence of unregulated platforms highlights the urgent need for broader digital policy reforms.
For customers, the new SMS header system brings welcome relief in guiding the daily flood of messages. But as communication channels, it helps to ensure all users enjoy a safer, spam-free digital experience.
