Tired of annoying text messages? Now you can discover spam, promotions, or important messages by checking the P, S, T or G suffixes

Must pay attention to SMS titles on your phone lately, such as Loan-P or Bank-S? This is part of a new system launched nationwide starting May 6, aiming to help mobile users quickly determine the nature of each text they receive. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has proposed a suffix-based classification for all SMS messages and marked with a letter whether it is a promotion, service-related, transaction or a government authorization. The move is based on the Second Amendment issued by TRAI on February 12, 2025, aiming to increase transparency in telecommunications communications and reduce spam for more than one billion mobile users nationwide.

How the new SMS suffix system works

According to the revised guidelines, each SMS header now ends with one of the following characters:

P – Promotional information, including promotions for specific services – Service information, used for general customer participation

T – Transaction messages, such as OTP or bank alerts

G – Government authorized message (only TRAI exempt title)
For example, if a service message is sent from the title “Abcxyz” through Jio in Delhi, the user considers it as JD-ABCXYZ-S.
J stands for Jio, D stands for Delhi and represents the “S” in the service. This clearly tells the recipient before opening the message.

Why Trai introduces changes

More than 1.1 billion mobile users in India often face spam and unsolicited SMS messages. Many users have difficulty telling which messages are important and which ones are irrelevant. The new suffix system is designed to act as a filter to help users make faster decisions.

Trai believes that this change will also benefit companies. Using clearer titles, users may be more likely to open trusted messages, which may increase participation rates. The move could also affect similar reforms adopted by global telecom regulators.

Who needs to act according to the new rules

This change only affects the Telecom Service Provider (TSP) responsible for implementing the new suffix format. Businesses and telemarketers, called primary entities (PES), do not need to change their existing message formats. The DLT platform has checked to prevent spam messages, and it will automatically add the appropriate suffix during processing.

Give the TSP until May 6 to complete the required updates of its system.

The next step in Indian text messages

Trai’s suffix rules are designed to rebuild public confidence in SMS Communication, which has declined due to fraudulent planning and over-marketing. Analysts will monitor the effectiveness of suffix systems to reduce spam and improve user experience. Future developments may include real-time exit tools, AI-based spam filters, or cross-platform message verification systems.