It gets really annoying when you are busy in a meeting for driving or engaged in some other work when your mobile phone starts ringing and when you pick up you are showered with credit card offers, insurance policies and what not. So how do you avoid getting such phone calls or SMS messages?
The fact is that none of the service providers in India will want its users to subscribe to the DND services. They make money by allowing advertisers to send SMS’s to their customers. And hence even this simple process is unnecessarily made complicated. In most cases this service does not work and fails to register the ‘do not disturb’ services.
As per TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) consumers can register their telephone number or their mobile number for inclusion in the NCPR (National Consumer Preference Register) for simply dialing 1909, and then follow the instruction. However many will not be able to successfully activate the DND services and will fail to get their number in the DND registry.
You can check if your number is listed in NCPR. Click this Customer Registration Status
If your number is not listed you must get it listed there. The best way is to call your mobile customer care number and speak to the operator and get your number listed in the NCPR. Once your number gets registered the unwanted messages and promotional calls will reduce (well it will not completely stop, but it will be very less, better than too many).
As I have already mentioned the best way is to call and chat with a customer care executive and get the DND activated. Also remember your number will be included in the NCPR database within 7 days of the registration of your request with the service provider.
Mind you this is really confusing. Activate DND and De-activate DND. Remember you need to activate DND to stop getting commercial communications on your phone and de-activate DND to actual start receiving annoying ads, communications etc.
Here is another way to register from the NCPR ( but may not work for many).
How to register from NCPR
- You can register by Dialing 1909 or sending SMS to 1909.
- Dial 1909 and go through the Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) or via customer care executive.
- You can choose to fully block category (no calls and no SMS’s) or partially block category (No calls but SMS based on your preferences)
- Once successfully registered you will get the SMS with unique registration number.
- You can try using SMS by sending START 0 to 1909 to block all categories, or START {number} to 1909 to receive SMS from related services. ( Check related category listed below)
- On success you will get an SMS to confirm the same. Once you send a confirmation via SMS the options are implemented.
Related Category
“START 1” Banking/ Insurance / Financial products/Credit cards
“START 2” Real Estate
“START 3” Education
“START 4” Health
“START 5” Consumer goods and automobiles
“START 6” Communication /Broadcasting / Entertainment /IT
“START 7” Tourism and Leisure