Distributed ledger technology
Distributed ledger technology (DLT) is a digital system for keeping and managing the record of sender IDs and template.
TRAI has introduced an advanced extension of the Blockchain – Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) to prevent spam
Guidelines for Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) for Enterprises
Enterprises need to register with the Operator’s DLT platform by submitting necessary business documents. Enterprises need to select a Registered Telemarketer (RTM) and permit them to perform functions on their behalf.
Header (Sender ID) registration: Messages are classified into promotional, transactional, service explicit and service implicit which are registered and every header gets a unique Header ID that is shared across other DLT platforms seamlessly. All headers and templates on the platform should be registered.
Content Template Registration: Entities are required to register all their templates on the DLT system. Every template gets a unique Template ID that is shared across other DLT platforms uniformly.
Changes as per Regulations
| Pre DLT | Post DLT | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Consent | No | Yes | Verifiable digital records of all customer opt-ins are made available on the platform. Customers can also see all their consents on a single dashboard |
| Customer Preferences | Yes | Yes | Consumers can also select specific day(s) and time band to block (or) receive. commercial communication in addition to type of category; viz only DND |
| Entity/Enterprise Registration | No | Yes | Entity need to register with originating access provider (OAP) on the platform |
| Telemarketer Registration | Yes | Yes | Telemarketer should now register with originating access provider (OAP) and no longer with TRAI |
| Header Registration | No | Yes | Entity should register all its SMS Headers and Voice CLIs on the platform |
| Type of Messages | Transactional | Transactional | Every template should be registered under one of these classifications: Promotional, Transactional or Service (Implicit or Explicit) |
| Promotional | Promotional | ||
| Govt | Service (Inferred Consent) | Government messages are classified under Service category | |
| Service (Explicit Consent) | |||
| Scrubbing | Yes (only DND Check for Promotional SMS) | Yes (Promotional & Service Explicit) | Messages will be scrubbed against multiple parameters like Consent, Preference, Header, Template; and not just DND list |
| Complaint Management | Yes | Yes | Telecom operators will now be responsible for complaint resolution |
| Interoperability between telecom Service Providers | No | Yes | Registration details of Entity, Telemarketer, Header, Template will be shared across the network to ensure seamless view |
| 100% Traceability | No | Yes | Everything is recorded and shared on the network using Blockchain technology. |
| Delivery Report | Yes | No | Delivery status for promotional messages will not be available post DLT. |
| 1. Promotional Traffic | |||
| 2. Transactional Traffic | Yes | Yes | Delivery status for transactional messages will continue to be available post DLT. |