India DLT registration

This article provides insights into DLT registration, its necessity, the process of completing DLT registration, associated costs, mandatory KYC documents, and an explanation of the Principal entity and Sender ID.

What is DLT registration?

DLT registration stands for "Distributed Ledger Technology" registration which businesses and entities involved in sending commercial communication messages, such as SMS or voice calls, register their sender IDs, headers, and content templates with telecom authorities or service providers.

As per the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulation (TCCCPR 2018), the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) requires businesses that want to send bulk SMS to register themselves on a DLT blockchain platform.

DLT is using blockchain to curb unsolicited message/voice communication. Utilizing the latest blockchain technology, when a customer registers for Do Not Disturb (DND) services, their data will be synchronized with all other Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in real-time through a highly secure process.

You have to provide the name of the business entity, along with the templates (messages that will be sent), headers (Sender IDs), and the consent templates.

This means that there is a record for every SMS sent, which specifies the business entity sending the SMS, the actual sender name displayed, the main content of the SMS, and the nature of the consent that the SMS recipient has agreed to.

DLT registration can be completed in the following manner:

• Enterprise or Principal Entity sending messages to its customers and potential customers
• Telemarketer with a direct connection to the telecom operators
• Aggregator that does not have a direct connection with the telecom operators

Additionally, it is necessary to provide your SMS gateway provider with the names and IDs, as well as the PAN Card ID, of the individual within your business who is authorized to sign on behalf of the company. This authorization has to be provided on your official business letterhead.

Associated costs

A one-time DLT registration fee of Rs. 5,900 in INR is required when you register on the first platform. After that, additional registrations on any other platform mentioned above are free of cost.

DLT registration steps

TRAI permits major telecom operators in India to provide DLT platforms. Links to these platforms are provided below, and you have the option to register on any of them.

All operators are supported, but for DLT Registration, Videocon , Airtel, and Jio are recommended.

Operator	DLT registration link
MTNL	https://www.ucc-mtnl.in/ (opens in a new tab)
BSNL	https://www.ucc-bsnl.co.in/ (opens in a new tab)
Jio	https://trueconnect.jio.com/ (opens in a new tab)
Airtel	https://dltconnect.airtel.in/ (opens in a new tab)
VI	https://www.vilpower.in/ (opens in a new tab)
Videocon	https://smartping.live/entity/register-with (opens in a new tab)
Tata Teleservices	https://www.tatatelebusiness.com/dlt-details/ (opens in a new tab)

Required documentation

The essential documents required for registration on any of the aforementioned DLT platforms include:

• Proof of Business Identification - PAN Card (mandatory)
• Letter of Authorization
• Authorized Signatory - Board Resolution Copy or POA of authority person
• Proof of Business Entity (one document required):
  • Shop and Establishment Act License
  • GST Certificate
  • CIN Certificate - Certificate of Incorporation
  • TAN Certificate
  • FSSAI License
  • Import & Export Registration documents

Principal Entity

Principal Entity refers to the company or organization that is sending SMS messages to its clients and customers. It can be an individual, sole proprietor, partnership firm, or any private/public or government organization who wants to communicate with their clients using the Bulk SMS Service.

Sender ID

After establishing the Principal Entity on the DLT platform, the next step involves the Sender/Header IDs, various types of DLT message templates, and different use cases.

In accordance with the latest TRAI regulations, Sender ID is now referred to as Header. A Header is a unique combination of six characters that represents the brand or company name of the sender.

The concept of a Sender can be viewed in two distinct ways:

1. Alpha- For Transactional, Service Implicit/Explicit type of traffic.
2. Numeric- Only for Promotional type of traffic.

Headers must be registered for each category of commercial communication, and for every registered Header, a corresponding template that aligns with the category or purpose of the Header must be registered by the Principal Entity (PE).