The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has reassured businesses, particularly in the banking sector, that only the static portions of URLs in commercial SMS messages will require whitelisting.
This clarification comes in response to concerns over possible disruptions in message delivery following the implementation of a new mandate on whitelisting commercial messages with URLs, OTT links, and APKs, which took effect on October 1.
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According to reports, TRAI officials acknowledged that while some minor disruptions could occur, ample time and clear guidelines had been provided to all stakeholders to facilitate a smooth transition.
The TRAI set a deadline for telecom operators to stop transmitting un-whitelisted messages by September 1. However, this deadline was subsequently extended to October 1, as many operators required additional time to establish the necessary infrastructure.
In this context, whitelisting refers to the process whereby telecom operators permit pre-approved URLs and links from specific businesses to pass through their networks. In contrast, unverified or suspicious URLs are automatically filtered out to mitigate spam and fraudulent messages.
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Under the whitelisting mandate, businesses must submit all relevant information about URLs, OTT links, and APKs in their commercial messages to telecom operators. This information is then recorded on a blockchain-based distributed ledger technology platform. Messages containing verified URLs receive approval for delivery, while those lacking proper verification are blocked.
The TRAI has clarified that only the static portion of these URLs, which identifies the sender, needs to be whitelisted. This clarification aims to ease worries surrounding the complexities associated with dynamic links.
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