<praise>
Many moons ago, I found out about one of India’s (digital) gems: the Telecom Service Provider’s (TSP) “Do Not Disturb” registry. Copied directly from Airtel’s DND website:
“To avoid unwanted telemarketing calls or SMS, please register your telephone number in Airtel’s Do Not Disturb registry.”
And they (Airtel, in my case) make it incredibly easy to do so. Your mileage may vary depending on your Telecom Service Provider. To find your TSP’s DND instructions, go here to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s website and select on the “TSP Website for - Preference Registration” dropdown. Each TSP has their own instructions.
I’ve stopped receiving annoying commerical/spam calls and SMS’ entirely and more importantly, my less tech-savvy family members have stopped receiving them too.
In case you missed it: this is the website https://trai.gov.in/tsps-website
Here’s how Airtel’s DND selection looks like:
</praise>