This is to inform you of an important regulatory update issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) that impacts all customers using Airtel services for SMS delivery and SMS template registration on the DLT platform.
As per TRAI Direction, all Principal Entities are required to implement mandatory variable tagging along with enhanced template validation and review mechanisms, to curb misuse of SMS content templates.
Key Regulatory Changes
As part of this directive, the following changes will be implemented on the Airtel DLT platform:
1. Mandatory Variable Tagging
- All variable fields used in an SMS template must be pre-tagged with a defined data type and purpose. Only the data permitted by the tag can be populated at runtime.
- Examples of approved variable tags:
- {#numeric#} – OTPs, amounts, numbers
- {#alphanumeric#} – Reference IDs, ticket numbers
- {#url#} – Website links
- {#urlott#} – OTT / App download links
- {#cbn#} – Callback numbers
- {#email#} – Email addresses
- Existing templates will need to be edited to comply with the new variable tagging norms.
- Applicability to New & Existing Templates
- All new SMS templates must comply with the variable tagging requirement before approval.
- All existing templates must be reviewed and updated to comply within the prescribed timelines.
- Enforcement & Message Delivery
- During the initial grace period, messages failing validation may be delivered with fault logs.
- Post the enforcement deadline, non-compliant messages will be rejected and not delivered.
|
Timeline |
Requirement |
|
From 15th Jan |
All new templates must be registered with variable tagging |
|
Within 30 days |
Scrubbing and whitelist validation to commence |
|
Within 60 days |
All existing templates must be updated |
|
Post grace period |
Non-compliant messages will be blocked |
2. Changes to Template Categories
- Registration of Service – Explicit (SE) templates will be stopped.
- Existing SE templates will be migrated to Promotional category.
- A defined migration window will be provided for customers to migrate applicable templates to:Service – Implicit (SI) or Transactional, where eligible.
- No category change will be permitted for Promotional templates once migrated.
Considering the criticality of the above, please ensure as under:
- Register new templates with variables all tagged.
- Review & update all existing SMS templates registered on the DLT platform using the mandatory variable tagging format
- Review and migrate templates, where applicable, within the provided migration window.
- Align your technical and campaign teams to ensure compliance for all future SMS communications.
This is a regulatory mandate, and timely action will help avoid any disruption to your SMS communications.
For assistance, write to your DLT Operator or call us our Support team at : 9907922122