The Indian Telecom Industry has millions of subscribers, that allow the consumers to communicate with their loved ones by calling or messaging. At the same time, the telemarketing companies make indiscreet calls to consumers to sell their products and flood their inbox with promotional messages, which can be annoying at most times. To tackle this problem, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has come up with a unique solution called DO NOT DISTURB (DND) registry.
What is DND?
To stop receiving unwanted telemarketing calls and messages, you can register with your service provider’s Do No Disturb registry. The service provider will in turn register your number at the National Do Not Call (NDNC) registry within 45 days.
The NDNC Registry is a database having the list of all telephone numbers of the subscribers who do not want to receive commercial calls or SMS. Telemarketers have to verify the calling number list in the NDNC registry before making a call. So rest assured, the telemarketers will not trouble you else they will be fined for calling you.
How to register your number on the DND registry?
If you choose not to receive any commercial messages or calls i.e for fully blocked registration:
- You can call 1909 (toll free) from your landline or mobile and select your preferences.
- You can also register by SMS by sending START DND or START 0 to 1909.
If you choose to receive SMS on select categories or for partially blocked registration, you can send SMS in this format START<space><preference no> to 1909. There are 7 preference numbers to choose from:
- START 0- Fully blocked
- START 1- Banking, Insurance, Financial products and credit cards
- START 2- Real Estate
- START 3- Education
- START 4- Health
- START 5- Consumer goods and automobiles
- START 6- Communication, Broadcasting, Entertainment and IT
- START 7- Tourism and Leisure
For instance, type START 4 to 1909, if you want to receive messages only on HEALTH. You can also include more than one preference number like START 4,6 to receive messages for more than one preference.
To Deregister:
- You can deregister by calling or sending a SMS: STOP DND to 1909.
- You can only deactivate after 3 months or 90 days from your date of activation.
The activation or deactivation of DND will be effective within 7 days from the date of registration. Subscribers can also register at their mobile operator’s website. You can also check the status of your number [here](https://www.nccptrai.gov.in/nccpregistry/search.misc). Now with the DND service and TRAI’s stringent orders implementing SMS restrictions, mobile subscribers can get rid of pesky calls and unwanted messages.