India telecoms and banks clash over consent ownership and costs
India's big telecom companies and banks are in a tug of war about who gets to manage your consent for commercial texts and calls.
Airtel, Jio, and Vodafone Idea want exclusive control since they reach most users, but banks worry this will raise their costs and give telcos too much power.
The real debate is who owns the consent and who pays for consent collection.
Airtel blames QTL, STPL banks warn
Major telecoms say smaller operators like QTL and STPL are behind most spam issues.
According to Airtel's note to TRAI, 93% of blacklisted spammers were linked to these two, with over 80% of January 2026 voice spam complaints coming from their networks.
Banks and others push back, warning that letting big telcos run the show could hurt competition and make things pricier for everyone.