TRAI's New Traceability Rules and OTP Delays: All you need to know

Starting from December 1, 2024, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will implement a new set of traceability guidelines so as to further bolster consumer security against spam and fraudulent message sending. These measures aim to make it more secure to use messenger services, yet there may be delays in receiving such critical communications, including an OTP.

What are TRAI’s Traceability Guidelines?

The new rules require telecom operators and messaging service providers to verify the origin and authenticity of each message, under the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) framework. This framework was introduced against spam and requires businesses to register their sender IDs (headers) and message templates with the telecom providers. Messages not matching the registered formats or originating from unregistered headers are flagged or blocked.

TRAI clarify delay in receiving OTPs

In response to complaints regarding delays in OTP delivery, TRAI clarified on social media that these guidelines would not cause any delay in the delivery of OTPs. While responding to a news article that was spreading misinformation, TRAI assured the users that the new guidelines would not disrupt the timely delivery of messages. The authority emphasized that traceability rules aimed at authenticating messages instead of bringing about delays.

Effects of Traceability Standards on OTPs

OTP messages are very essential in securing digital transactions, logins, and authentication. Businesses, under the new traceability rules, have to ensure that the OTPs comply with the registered message formats. This will bring about minor lags in processing messages, especially during peak seasons when verification processes are most active or when implementing a new system.

Why OTP delays are unlikely

While some organizations might experience lags due to modifications within the DLT system or revising message templates, an already established organization that had already registered their headers and templates at previous stages of the DLT system would probably not have to face disruption. Since telecom operators have streamlined their systems to send time-sensitive messages like OTPs first, lags are not expected to be too severe.

To ensure you keep getting OTPs without any problem, check out these tips:

Update your contact information: Make sure your mobile number is right on all your services.

App-based authentication: Allow, if enabled, authenticator apps to use as a fallback to log in using OTPs.

Don’t panic: There is going to be some minor delay, but businesses and telecom operators will stabilize over time.

Bigger Picture: A More Secure Messaging Environment

In due course, though some users may face some delay at initial stages, guidelines by the TRAI regarding traceability are an important step that will help in making a much safer messaging environment. Because those tough restrictions could reduce the volumes of spammers, fraudulent messages being forwarded on to consumers, hence security improvements for consumers at large and the benefits in long runs would far outweigh temporary delay in OTP delivery.