[indian21r]

Why does TRAi have to restrict SMS? just butting in for the sake of showing their presence

will they even restrict phone calls also later on

[karty_83]

Voted Don't care. I am not a student anymore . For once the 26+ had something that the gen x students wont, lol

[AWD]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I would easily do more than 100 sms per day, on multiple occassions. But, when i need to exceed 100 per day, is it fair to restrict me?

The policy is to restrict Telemarketers & save the regular user who is disturbed all the time.
Must say that steps by TRAI have resulted in big-time reduction in telemarketing calls, messaging is next on the line.

While a regular user who exceeds 100sms/day limit might feel preturbed but what else could be the solution? Maybe TRAI could segregate nos. but that would be tough task.

[Bapu]

Voted NO

Why only students? My dad is a retired person and for him forwarding Jokes is his favourite past time!! He's gotten a reliance number specifically for their sms packs!

And 10 jokes to 10 people would complete that limit!!

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by AWD

The policy is to restrict Telemarketers & save the regular user who is disturbed all the time.
Must say that steps by TRAI have resulted in big-time reduction in telemarketing calls, messaging is next on the line.

I have to disagree here. I have registered with the National DND, and have made numerous complaints with my erstwhile service provider (Vodafone). In spite of their best attempts to prevent unsolicited calls and disconnect erring telemarketers, I used to get 2-3 calls every day. The National DND registry was a huge flop, IMO. And this SMS cap is also going to be one.

As someone said, it's as though you are allowed to drive 1200km a month, but you are forced to refrain from driving more than 40km a day - in the pretext of limiting accidents.

IMO, the telcos should make subscriber verifications more stringent and do it frequently and randomly. Only then they can rein in the menace of unregistered/illegal telemarketers

[given2fly]

You must be a vodafone subscriber.

Seriously, I have never faced any issues with my Airtel GPRS and I won't consider it slow and painful. As long as it is a few KBs per session., it really doesn't matter.

And other people will be online or checking periodically if they understand the group dynamics. Don't complain just because you have to. Typing 100 unique SMSes is really stupid, no 2 thoughts about it. Just pick up the phone and talk it out.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

GPRS and Facebook will do the "slow, painful, stupid" typing for the user? There also, the same thing has to be typed in the same manner.

Moreover, it eats the battery, gets disconnected during peak traffic times, and does the same thing as message does in a much simpler way! Not to mention, the other person should be online too, which is not a necessity in the case of message!

[silversteed]

I am a Vodafone as well as Airtel subscriber, but in different places. Maybe Airtel's service is good in your circle, but in Bangalore it's not so. If it gets connected, the speeds are good (good as in better compared to Vodafone). But the network is really a mess. The reasoning that GPRS and FB can be an alternative to SMS is not logical. It takes longer thru GPRS, than an SMS. And, add to that the extra battery drain for the FB app or browser. Moreover, you don't need a smartphone to send SMS. Even a plain 3310 can do the job. If it's not for the popularity of SMS, why do Facebook provide a facility for updating status and the like thru SMS?

Picking up the phone and talking is easy if the person at the other end is free. SMS is non intrusive, unlike a call. If I'm driving and I get a call, I have the option to cancel the call or leave the phone ringing. If I choose the former, there's a high chance that I'll forget about it. Instead, if I had received an SMS I'm sure I'll reply when I see it. This is just one scenario.

Sending more than 100 SMS is not at all stupid. I get messages from friends asking me if my blood group is so and so. Once I did reply to the contact no provided and it proved useful. The guy who sent the message to me had just passed it along. There are instances when I did the same too.

The SMS cap is just a way to cover up their (TRAI) incompetence.

[amitk26]

FYI telemarketers do not send the bulk SMS way normally people understand.

There are SMS companies who buy SMS in bulk at very cheap rate from operators, They use it for different purpose as per business some like way2sms offer free SMS from web because their revenue comes from online advt.

Some others offer bulk SMS as an advertising tool and these companies get telephone number CDs from various sources ( Check your junk mail chances are that you have a mail from someone who can sell CD of HNI in India)

Also many banks use this kind of bulk SMS including SBI which keeps on spamming me that I should not respond to phishing mail

Even if cap of 100 SMS is put on individuals this does not affect bulk SMS buyers in any way. Until TRAI is hell bent on destroying SMS marketing companies which is also unfair IMHO.

[Sunilrj]

New Delhi, Jul 14 (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Friday set aside the cap of 200 SMSs per day sent through a mobile phone SIM for personal communications but upheld the curb on unwanted commercial SMSs saying they infringed the “equally” important right to privacy of “unwilling recipients“.

“We are, therefore, of the opinion that the impugned provision (of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) insofar as it covers non-UCCs (Unrestricted Unsolicited Commercial Communications) SMS in the present form as it exists, infringes the freedom of speech of the citizens.
“And the conditions imposed upon the freedom of speech is not reasonable which would be protected under Article 19 (2) (which deals with reasonable restrictions of freedom of speech) of the Constitution,” a bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw said.

The bench, however, made a distinction for unsolicited commercial calls and said that the restriction imposed by the TRAI on them was valid.
“We have already pointed out that the TRAI has found that UCC calls and SMSs were interfering with the personal lives of the individuals as often telemarketers would call them up for selling their products. All such calls sere unsolicited, i.e., the receiving party does not want to receive such calls or messages.

“These UCC messages disturb the recipients, intrude into their privacy, and impose a cost in terms of the time and efforts. In fact, they infringe the equally importance rights of the unwilling recipients,” it said.
Partly allowing the petition of Anil Kumar, secretary of NGO Telecom Watchdog, the court, however, granted liberty to TRAI “to come out with more appropriate regulations for regulating unsolicited non-UCCs SMSs that could meet the test of reasonableness under the Constitution.”

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