In a bid to arrest the increasing menace of pesky messages, telecom regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has capped the number of low rate SMSes at 100 per day.

Taking the advantage of concessional SMS offers by telecom operators,

Unregistered tele-marketers send out thousands of SMSes to mobile phone subscribers. Many subscribers often complain that unsolicited promotional SMSes disturb them unnecessarily.

TRAI ordered telecom operators on Monday that they should charge a minimum 50 paise for every SMS sent beyond the limit of 100.

A senior official stated that TRAI had assumed a "zero tolerance" approach towards pesky messages. Speaking on the topic, the official said, "This menace will not be tolerated. This is the first of the many measures we plan to take."

Last week, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal had said that he too was a victim of unsolicited messages that span sauna belt to apartments. He had also assured that the telecom regulator was taking up the issue of pesky messages.

However, TRAI clarified that it would not put a cap on the number of SMSes that one can send per day; instead messages sent beyond 100 will be charged at non-concessional rates.

Additionally, TRAI has eased the system of lodging complaints. Subscribers will now be required to just forward the pesky message to lodge complaints.