TRAI on Tuesday lowered telemarketers’ registration fees and the security deposit with the service provider.
This is to encourage small telemarketers to register with TRAI.
TRAI says some of the major entities like banks and insurance agencies have requested the authority to reduce the registration fees and also the security deposit with the service providers to remove the entry barrier for small dealers/ agents.
“Some of the major banks and insurance agencies have submitted that there are small dealers/ agents, in their business model, who do not have the means to afford the initial security deposit of Rs 100,000 with service providers for taking telecom resources,” said TRAI.
Since the banks and insurance companies are mandating their dealers/ agents for registration as a telemarketer with TRAI, they have requested for reduction in the registration fee and the initial security deposit so as to motivate and provide opportunity for these small agents/ dealers to register with TRAI as a telemarketer.
As per the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference (Fourteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2013 , the registration period is extended from three to five years.
The existing registered telemarketers can renew their registration by paying a renewal fee of Rs 5000.
The registration fee is reduced from Rs 10,000 (Rs 1,000 registration fee + Rs 9,000 customer education fee) to Rs.5,000, which will be a common registration fee, without any separate Customer Education Fee.
This initial security deposit with the service provider is reduced from Rs 100,000 to Rs 50,000.
