

Contested penalties: Why toothless Trai fails to curb spam, improve quality
India’s telecom regulator has ramped up penalties on operators, but its crusade to improve service quality, compliance and contain spam is stalling. Hamstrung by limited powers and litigation, 97% of these fines have gone unpaid.The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) imposed penalties worth ₹45 crore in the fiscal ended March 2025 (FY25), according to data flagged by the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG's) audit of the regulator’s financial statements.
But Trai recovered just 3% or ₹1.37 crore in FY25.That compares with penalties worth ₹2.7 crore and ₹2.5 crore recovered in the previous fiscal.Telecom service providers are increasingly challenging Trai’s orders in the appellate tribunal. Unlike the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Trai lacks a stronger statutory authority.One fallout of the limited power is the regulator’s inability to address service quality issues and contain the menace of spam calls.“Enhancing the enforcement powers of the telecom regulator has the potential to deliver tangible benefits to consumers, particularly by improving compliance with quality-of-service norms, strengthening grievance redressal mechanisms, and deterring persistent regulatory violations,” said Deepika Kumari, partner at King Stubb & Kasiva, Advocates and Attorneys.“A regulator with effective enforcement ‘teeth’ can drive greater discipline in the sector, reduce prolonged non-compliance, and create a more transparent operating environment for telecom service providers,” she said.Queries emailed to the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and Trai did not elicit any response till the press time.According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act,
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