It has now become simpler for cellular users to determine spam and genuine SMS. Telecom companies have begun attaching new suffixes (letters) to the SMS header, which will aid in knowing the sender's identity and the content of the message. Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) provided this information on Tuesday. COAI has large telecom operators such as Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea.

COAI Director General SP Kochhar said that all telecom service providers have implemented the suffix system for promotional (‘P’), service-related (‘S’), transactional (‘T’), and government (‘G’) messages. This step has been taken under the Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulation (TCCCPR) amended on 12 February 2025.

Kochhar said, "This has strengthened transparency and consumer protection. Customers can now know at a glance which message is promotional, which is service-related, and which is transactional or government. This will greatly reduce spam and also prevent fraud."

Kochhar expressed concern over the increasing spam and fraud messages through OTT (Over-the-top) messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. He said, "Unless the entire communication ecosystem is regulated, no consent framework or spam control measure can be fully effective." Due to a lack of any clear control on OTT platforms, most of the fraud and unwanted promotions are now coming from these apps, which has become a matter of concern for the users.

It has now become simpler for cellular users to determine spam and genuine SMS. Telecom companies have begun attaching new suffixes (letters) to the SMS header, which will aid in knowing the sender's identity and the content of the message. Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) provided this information on Tuesday. COAI has large telecom operators such as Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea.

COAI Director General SP Kochhar said that all telecom service providers have implemented the suffix system for promotional (‘P’), service-related (‘S’), transactional (‘T’), and government (‘G’) messages. This step has been taken under the Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulation (TCCCPR) amended on 12 February 2025.

Kochhar said, "This has strengthened transparency and consumer protection. Customers can now know at a glance which message is promotional, which is service-related, and which is transactional or government. This will greatly reduce spam and also prevent fraud."

Kochhar expressed concern over the increasing spam and fraud messages through OTT (Over-the-top) messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. He said, "Unless the entire communication ecosystem is regulated, no consent framework or spam control measure can be fully effective." Due to a lack of any clear control on OTT platforms, most of the fraud and unwanted promotions are now coming from these apps, which has become a matter of concern for the users.