Is AI outbound calling legal in India?

The rules for commercial calling in India are written for the business making the calls, not for whether a person or an AI speaks. This page summarises them and says plainly which checks Samparkk performs and which stay with you.

Which regulation applies?

Commercial calls and messages in India are covered by TRAI's Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018, usually shortened to TCCCPR, and its later amendments. It distinguishes promotional communication, which generally needs consent or a preference match, from service and transactional communication, which relates to an existing relationship such as a loan the customer applied for.

What is DLT registration?

Distributed Ledger Technology platforms run by the telecom operators hold the register of who sends commercial communication. Businesses register as a principal entity with headers (sender identities) and content templates, and record customer consent. Samparkk does not register entities, headers or templates for you and does not check DLT status before a call. That registration, where your use case needs it, is yours to arrange with your telecom operator.

What about the Do Not Disturb register?

Customers can register their number on the National Customer Preference Register (NCPR), commonly called DND, and choose which categories of promotional communication they will accept. Businesses are generally expected to check their lists against it before promotional calls and to hold consent for anyone on it they intend to call. Samparkk does not scrub your list against the NCPR. You are responsible for holding consent for every number you upload and for not calling NCPR-registered numbers without consent.

What Samparkk does do: it keeps a do-not-call list for your account, checks it before every dial, and adds a number to it when a caller asks not to be called again. That call is tagged DND Requested.

Which numbers can commercial calls come from?

TRAI designates numbering series for commercial communication so customers can recognise it, such as the 140 series for promotional calls and a 1600 series for service and transactional calls from regulated entities. Samparkk does not check which series your calls use. Ask your telephony provider and counsel which series your use case requires.

Does the caller have to be told it is an AI?

We are not aware of a specific AI-disclosure clause in TCCCPR, but consumer protection and fair-practice expectations apply. By default, new Samparkk agents say they are an AI when a caller asks and never claim to be human. You can also put an AI introduction in the greeting; the wording is part of your script.

What about calling hours?

By default, calls go out only between 8:45 and 21:00 IST. Each customer's calling window is configurable.

What about recording and data protection?

India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 sets duties for businesses that process personal data, including call recordings and transcripts. In that framework you are the data fiduciary for the contacts you upload and Samparkk acts as your processor. Keep a lawful basis for processing, make sure your own privacy notice covers AI-assisted and recorded calls, and set retention in your customer contract.

A practical checklist

1. Hold consent for every number you upload, and scrub lists against the NCPR yourself before a promotional campaign.
2. Arrange DLT registration and the right number series with your telecom operator where your use case needs them.
3. Keep consent records for anyone on the register you intend to call.
4. Honour opt-outs immediately; Samparkk adds them to your do-not-call list.
5. Keep recordings and a disposition for every call, so you can show what was said.
6. Review the rules quarterly; they change.

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