More than 20.75 lakh grievances related to unwanted calls and messages have been recorded in the first half of 2026, highlighting increasing consumer frustration despite government and TRAI enforcement actions.
Complaints about unwanted calls and messages in India have continued to climb since 2022, with the first half of 2026 already producing more than 20.75 lakh grievances, the government told Parliament on Thursday. According to data placed before the Rajya Sabha by Minister of State for Telecom Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, more than 82% of those complaints were against unregistered senders or telemarketers.
The figures show a sharp rise in consumer frustration over unsolicited commercial communication. Complaints fell to 10.83 lakh in 2022 from 12.84 lakh in 2021, but then increased to 13.62 lakh in 2023, 19.38 lakh in 2024 and 31.09 lakh in 2025. The 20,75,098 complaints recorded between January and June 2026 were already more than two-thirds of last year’s total.
Enforcement has not moved at the same pace as the complaints. Government data showed 19.21 lakh telecom connections linked to such activity were disconnected between August and December 2024, but that figure dropped to 1.94 lakh in 2025 and to 79,000 in the first half of 2026. By contrast, action against the entities that sponsored the calls and messages has increased, with 155 registered principal entities blacklisted in the final five months of 2024, 995 in 2025 and 1,406 by June 2026.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has also stepped up its own crackdown. In 2025, TRAI issued 7,31,120 notices to unregistered telemarketers, imposed one-month communication restrictions on 4,73,075 entities, applied six-month caps to 89,936 repeat offenders and disconnected 1,84,482 telecom resources, according to the regulator’s annual update. TRAI has separately directed access providers to block promotional voice calls from unregistered senders and, in serious cases, disconnect telecom resources for up to two years.
Disclaimer: This content is intended for informational purposes only. Readers are advised to exercise their own judgement, conduct due diligence, or consult a qualified expert before acting on any information provided.
