The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India – TRAI has issued commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulation. Mobile users may now choose a partially blocked category in which they will get the SMS from banking, insurance and financial services but will not get any commercial calls. A separate number series starting from 70 will be allocated for the tele-marketers to enable customers easily identify such calls. TRAI also imposed a hefty penalty of up to Rs. 2.50 lakh on erring telemarketing companies which also face the prospect of getting blacklisted.The new guidelines will come into effect from 1st January next year. The regulations also mandate that no commercial communication, even for unregistered customers, shall be sent between 9.00 pm and 9.00 am, so that customers are not disturbed at night.