Anna Effects: TRAI Bans Bulk SMSs In India !?!

Resentment is growing against the government’s decision to limit the number of SMSes people can send in a day. The regulation announced by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) comes into effect on September 27 and sets the cap at 100 SMSes a day. A number many feel is too low and takes
away their freedom to decide their own limits. It may be noted here that bulb SMSs played a key role in the recent Anna Movement.

“We have written to TRAI against this many times. We feel it infringes on the right of speech of consumers. It will give them a tough time, especially during festive occasions such as Diwali, when people send out several hundred wishes in a day,” says Rajan S Mathews, director general of Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

“As long as we pay for the SMS, it should not be a problem with anyone how many we send. Aren’t we a democratic country?” says Manoj Arora, 25. “It is our right to choose whether to send 10 messages or 100. Texting is so much cheaper and we can even do so while we’re in class,” says Akshit Tuteja, 21. 23-year-old Shalini Seth says, “Bulk SMSes played a key role in campaigns such Anna Hazare’s protest. Besides, what if I cross my 100 mark one day and need to send an urgent message? What happens then?”

However, there are many in favour of the limit as well. “If this blocks the hundreds of promotional SMS we get in a day, it’s a great idea” says Swati Bhalla, 25. “It’s the age of smart phones and most of us use Whatsapp and BBM anyway, so what’s the big deal?” says Ritika Sareen, 21.

A source from a telecom company says, “People will now opt for smart phones and internet packages on their phones, so, in a way, our business will not be affected at all.”

Why TRAI?
As per TRAI’s ‘Per Day Per Sim’ (PDPS) rule, which comes into effect on September 27, service providers cannot allow customers to send more than 100 SMSes a day. The decision comes to keep a check on the large number of Unsolicited Commercial Communications (promotional SMSes and calls) sent out daily.

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