How long, in your opinion, does it take to add a phone number to a database? What if I told you that it takes a full 45 (forty-five) days? Yeah. Forty-five. That’s how long it will take for your phone number to reflect in TRAI’s (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) spanking new India-wide Do Not Call (DNC) registry.
Says TRAI’s recent circular (my comments in []):
Telephone users not wanting commercial/unwanted calls may now register their request with their telephone operators.
[Great. Just what we've been waiting for.]
- Telecom operators have allotted specific numbers for registering your request through phone and SMS. Telecom operators after verifying your request will intimate registration within 10 days.
[Ok. I can somehow bear with this. But I don't see any update on Airtel's website on this topic. There's still time till September 01, 2007, when the DNC is supposed to go live (or kaput?). ]
- 45 days after registration, no commercial/unwanted calls will come on your registered phone number.
[How's that? We develop software for the whole world and it takes 45 days to update our own database! I don't think my phone number is a multi-gigabyte data object.]
You’re lucky if you live in a Tier I city because here comes the kicker. Telemarketers have responded saying:
With DNC kicking in from September 1, we will be tapping other databases of potential customers for instance, in tier II and III towns. With a growing mobile user base, the slowdown will be only short-lived.
The telemarketers are, however, incensed that the government didn’t even consult before issuing a legislation on them.
The government failed to start a consultative process with us and brought out the notification arbitrarily which was unexpected.
I sure wouldn’t want to live in a Tier II or Tier III town now. After all, you don’t want to incur the wrath of a scorned telemarketer.
Finally, if after 45 days you continue to receive spam calls, don’t call TRAI. Call your telecom operator! Passing the buck starts here.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Hmm, 45 days, huh!! :)
I am yet to register for it!!
Of late your blog has only money-loan-bank-creditcard-mutualfund kind of posts……would like to see some change!
ಗಬ್ಬೆದ್ದೋಗಿದೆ ನಿನ್ನ blog. ಇದೇ ತರಹ ಬರೀತಾ ಇದ್ರೆ ಯಾರು ಓದಲ್ಲ. ಯಾವ್ದೋ ಕಿತ್ತೊಗಿರೊ loan , mutual fund, S&P ಅಂತ ಬರೀತಾ ಇದ್ರೆ ತಡಕೋಳಕ್ಕೆ ಆಗಲ್ಲ ಸಿವ. ಬೇಗ ಏನಾದ್ರೂ ಸರಿಯಾಗಿರೋದು ಬರೆಯೋ.
Boss your last note on Adhyatma Chintane was Aug 13th. after nothing has come up….
Have dropped it?
Have fun Mate!!!
@M: Of late even I am wondering who you are – the Mysterious M. Why don’t you email me with your identity?
@Goutham: Diversification dude!
@Stinger: Adhyatma Chintane has gone into hibernation at the moment. The volume of hate mail I received on the series was incredible. :-)