COAI Calls for Subscriber-Centric Digital Consent Framework to Curb Unsolicited Communications
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has called for a subscriber-centric approach to the Digital Consent Acquisition (DCA) framework, arguing that consent for commercial communications should be live, verifiable, revocable and enforceable at the point of delivery.
In a statement, Lt. Gen. Dr. S.P. Kochhar, Director General, COAI, welcomed the continued efforts of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to strengthen the DCA framework and protect consumers from unsolicited commercial communications.
COAI said its proposed architecture seeks to establish a balanced role for Originating Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) and Terminating TSPs, while protecting the interests of both subscribers and enterprises.
According to the association, the operator serving the subscriber should be empowered to record consent, handle subscriber grievances and take enhanced action in cases of misuse. This, it said, would improve accountability and auditability while enabling consent preferences, revocations and disputes to be addressed in a transparent manner.
“The present challenge is not merely technical; it is fundamentally about maintaining consumer trust,” Kochhar said, pointing to the fragmentation that can arise when consent storage and communication delivery are managed by one part of the ecosystem while complaint handling is undertaken elsewhere.
COAI has proposed retaining the enterprise-facing role of the Originating Access Provider (OAP), while placing subscriber-facing consent storage and additional checks with the Terminating Access Provider (TAP), through common APIs, uniform standards and interoperable processes.
The association said the approach would be technology-neutral, competitively neutral and scalable across SMS, voice and other digital communication channels.
“India needs a consent framework that is not just permission-based, but protection-led,” Kochhar said, adding that a TAP-led DCA framework could strengthen consumer protection and regulatory oversight while creating a more trusted commercial communications ecosystem for both consumers and enterprises.
