Do not disturb!

Are you one of those unfortunate people who receive pesky calls and messages on your mobile from strange numbers? The telecom regulators (TRAI), however, cannot do anything much about it as even if you are registered in DND; there seems to be no let up in the flow of unsolicited calls and messages.

The problem is the abundant availability of Chinese mobiles and gear. Unregistered telemarketers use special GSM modems, imported from China that accommodate more than 100 sim cards and send out hundreds of thousands of messages in one go. Also, these telemarketers make use of the calls and SMS rate packs provided by leading network providers and operate from smaller cities such as Kanpur, Lucknow and Meerut. Thanks to the internet, now bulk messages can be sent through internet portals that provide software to send mails which appear as messages on cell phones.

Since January 2013,  TRAI blocked more than 90,000 unregistered numbers after receiving complaints from customers.  TRAI  has imposed penalties on pesky calls, even blacklisting for two years and several network providers such as Airtel, Loop, TATA and BSNL have discontinued bulk messaging services but somehow in a vast country like India, pesky telemarketers seem to always find a loophole.