TRAI-Compliant AI Calling in India — Complete Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

Why TRAI Compliance Is Non-Negotiable

India's TRAI enforces the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR) 2018. Violations result in permanent blacklisting of your phone number, financial penalties up to Rs 5 lakh per violation, and criminal liability under Section 72A of the IT Act for repeat violations.

Key Provisions of TCCCPR 2018

• All commercial communicators must register on the DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) platform
• All originating phone numbers (headers) used for commercial calls must be registered
• Calls to DND-registered numbers are prohibited unless the customer has given explicit consent
• Promotional calls are restricted to 9 AM-9 PM IST
• Every commercial call must identify the calling business
• Opt-out from future calls must be offered and honoured within 24 hours

Step 1 — DLT Registration

DLT is a blockchain-based platform mandated by TRAI where all entities that send commercial communications must register as a Principal Entity (PE).

How to Register

1. Choose a DLT platform: Airtel DLT, Vodafone Idea DLT, Jio Trueconnect, Videocon DLT, or BSNL DLT
2. Submit: GST certificate, PAN card, incorporation certificate, authorised signatory ID
3. Wait for verification: typically 2-5 business days
4. Receive your PE-ID — linked to all future campaign registrations

Scalify Labs handles DLT registration as part of the onboarding process for all AI calling clients.

Step 2 — Header Registration

The phone number from which your AI agent makes calls must be registered on DLT and linked to your PE-ID.

• Transactional headers: For calls the customer has opted into — appointment reminders, order confirmations, OTP. Can be made to DND numbers if prior consent is documented.
• Promotional headers: For sales calls and lead follow-up to non-opted-in contacts. Cannot be made to DND numbers. Restricted to 9 AM-9 PM.

Step 3 — DND Scrubbing

The National Customer Preference Registry (NCPR) contains numbers of Indians who have opted out of commercial calls. Before running any promotional campaign, your call list must be checked and matching numbers removed.

Scalify Labs scrubs every campaign list before the first call and retains scrubbing logs for compliance audits. Lists are re-scrubbed if the campaign spans more than 7 days.

Step 4 — Time and Volume Restrictions

Call Type	Allowed Window	Days
Promotional calls	9:00 AM - 9:00 PM IST	All days
Transactional calls (opted-in)	No restriction	All days
Emergency / OTP calls	No restriction	All days

Step 5 — AI Voicebot Disclosure

As of 2026, TRAI is moving toward mandating that AI voice agents identify themselves as automated systems at the start of each call. Scalify Labs' default opening:

"Hello, I am an AI assistant calling from [Company Name]. This call may be recorded. Am I speaking with [Customer Name]?"

This disclosure reduces complaint rates — customers who know they're talking to AI are less likely to file TRAI complaints. Studies show under 8% of callers hang up after AI disclosure vs over 15% with undisclosed AI callers who are later discovered.

TRAI Compliance Checklist

• PE registration on DLT platform completed
• Campaign header registered and linked to PE-ID
• Call list scrubbed against NCPR DND registry
• Scrubbing timestamp and record retained
• Campaign schedule restricted to 9 AM-9 PM for promotional calls
• AI identity disclosed at call start
• Opt-out mechanism implemented and tested
• Opt-out requests processed within 24 hours
• Consent documentation available for transactional campaigns calling DND numbers
• Call recordings retained for minimum 90 days

Scalify Labs runs this checklist on every new AI calling campaign before the first dial. See how we handle compliance for your campaign

Also read: Complete AI Calling Guide India 2026