The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on November 17, 2025, responds to DoT Back-Reference on Regulatory Framework for Promoting Data Economy through Establishment of Data Centres, Content Delivery Networks, and Interconnect Exchanges in India.
The following has been stated namely: -
• TRAI has issued a response to the DoT’s back-reference dated August 29, 2025, concerning its earlier recommendations of November 18, 2022, on establishing a regulatory framework to promote the data economy via data centres, content delivery networks, and interconnect exchanges.
• The DoT asked TRAI to reconsider two specific sub-recommendations (6.39 and 6.40) relating to data ethics and ownership—especially the proposal for a consent-based data-sharing framework for telecom subscribers’ KYC data.
• In its detailed response, TRAI reviews the DoT’s views on the existing mobile number portability (MNP) regime, KYC data transfer, and proposes revised wording for sub-recommendation 6.39 to make clear that the consent-based sharing or validation of subscriber KYC data, including during number portability, should be enabled through frameworks like the Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA).
• While TRAI reiterates sub-recommendation 6.40 (on broader data‐sharing beyond telecom), it recognises that practical implementation will depend on notification of rules under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, and existing licensing norms—especially the requirement that KYC data transfer between operators is not currently feasible without breaching confidentiality obligations.
[Press Release No. 132/2025]
