What Is CTA Whitelisting In DLT?
TRAI has introduced a new set of rules as a defense mechanism to prevent fraudulent activities.
In these guidelines, TRAI mentions call-to-action whitelisting as a mandatory aspect of DLT registration. The following information will help you to understand these better.
What Is CTA Whitelisting In DLT?
Call to action whitelisting is introduced to safeguard the recipients. All the calls to action or the variables of SMS content such as URLs, APKs, Whatsapp numbers or URLs, Mobile numbers, etc. should be whitelisted at the DLT operator.
TRAI as resealed formats which will be accepted as call-to-action and variables. Refer to the following table to if your SMS contains the URL.
| CTA URL Type | Example | Validation | Remarks |
| Static URL | https://www.xyz.com/sports/report/paris-2024-olympics-medals-table-france-china-india-usa-great-britain-australia/.htm | Static URLs should start with http, https, or www only. | Do not use question mark (?). |
| Dynamic URL | https://www.xyz.com/report? | Should start with http, https, or www only. | Should end with a question mark (?) mandatorily |
| APK URL | https://xyz.com/mmaamm/blob/master/ example.apk | Should start with http, https, or www only. | .apk at the end is mandatory |
| Whatsapp URL | https://wa.me/918888888888 | Should start with http, https, or www only. | Indian mobile number series starting from 6-9 are accepted with or without 91 |
Similarly, if your call to action SMS campaign contains a number it should be aligned with TRAI guidelines. Refer to the following table before adding a CTA number to your SMS.
| CTA Number Type | Example | Validation | Remarks |
| Mobile Number | 9999999999 | Should be of the Indian series starting from 6-9. | Can start with or without 91 |
| Toll-free numbers | 1800111111 | Should start from 1800 or 1860 | Can be 8 to 11 digits |
| Landline number | 2222222222 | Should be 10 digits only | Can start with or without 0 |
| 140 and 160 series | 1400987987 | Should be 10 digits only |
Why CTA Whitelisting Is Important?
Whitelisting is crucial for preventing fraud. Fraudster replaces the URLs and phone numbers of the content template variables with spam links and numbers leading to increased instances of fraud and spam Bulk SMS communication.
Hence it is now mandatory to get all the URLs and numbers approved and whitelisted from your DLT operators.
This will reduce the risk of malicious links and numbers being circulated. Whitelisting ensures only approved and genuine CTA are communicated through SMS communication.
When To Get The CTA Whitelisted?
This new TRAI guideline of CTA whitelisting is effective from 1st September 2024. It is compulsory to get each variable used in the content template approved by DLT as soon as possible.
If you are going to apply for a content template after 1st September 2024, make sure all the variables are pre-tagged and described for validation to DLT operators. However, TRAI is still working to get a solution for pre-existing content templates.
What Are The Consequences Of Not Whitelisting CTA?
The SMS will be blocked from the access service provider if the SMS contains non-whitelisted URLs, APK, or contact information.
In case of misuse of headers, and content templates of the sender comes to notice, the sender will be booked by suspending all the headers and content templates.
Furthermore, delivery telemarketers will have to identify and report the sender within two working days.
This will hurdle bulk SMS communication at the operator end and SMS will not be delivered. Hence creating trouble and disruption for customers and loss of businesses.
How To Get CTA Whitelisted?
Getting the CTA and variable is now a part of the content approval process. As per TRAI guidelines, the process of content template approval at the DLT portal now involves a crucial step of CTA whitelisting.
However, different operators have different methods of CTA whitelisting. In general, Go to your respective DLT operator. In the content template section, you will find the CTA whitelisting option.