DoT OSP Registration: What Call Centres Need Today
Since the Department of Telecommunications revised its Other Service Provider (OSP) guidelines on 23 June 2021, an OSP centre in India needs no registration and no bank guarantee. What remains is a short list of safeguards, chiefly keeping call and system logs for one year. We help voice BPOs confirm where they stand, set up the right entity and keep a clean compliance file.
What it is
An Other Service Provider, or OSP, is an Indian company or LLP that runs voice-based business process outsourcing: a call centre where customers reach the OSP’s network over ordinary phone lines (PSTN, mobile or ISDN). For years, such centres had to register with DoT and give bank guarantees before they could start. That history is why founders still search for “OSP registration”.
That regime has gone. DoT’s guidelines of 5 November 2020 started the reform, and the revised guidelines of 23 June 2021 (Order No. 18-8/2020-CS-I (Pt.)) went further. No registration for OSP centres. No bank guarantee. No routine reports, and no split between domestic and international OSPs. The Telecommunications Act, 2023 has since replaced the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, and DoT notified new authorisation rules in 2026. As of 2 October 2026, we have found no new authorisation or registration for OSP centres in them, and DoT’s site still carries the 2021 guidelines. We recheck this before every engagement.
Then and now
| Point | Before the 2020–21 reforms | Under the 23 June 2021 guidelines |
|---|---|---|
| DoT registration | Required | Not required |
| Bank guarantee | Required for certain facilities | Not required for any facility |
| Domestic vs international OSP | Treated separately | Distinction removed |
| Routine reports to DoT | Required | None |
| Penalties under the guidelines | Applied | Removed |
| CDR, UDR and system logs | Kept | Kept for one year, shared with DoT or agencies on request |
Who it applies to
You run a voice call centre
A helpdesk or sales team whose customers call in, or are called, over PSTN or mobile lines is an OSP under the guidelines.
Your agents work from home
Work-from-home has been widened to work-from-anywhere in India. Remote agents are allowed, but the logs of their activity must be kept for one year.
You only do data or chat work
Entities that do not carry out voice-based BPO work are not regulated by the OSP guidelines at all. A Noida startup offering chat-only support to online sellers, for example, falls outside.
Why it matters
Produce records when asked
OSPs must keep Call Data Records, Usage Data Records and system logs for all customer calls and hand them to DoT or law enforcement agencies on request.
Stay clear of toll bypass
The guidelines define toll bypass as illegal carriage of voice traffic that infringes on the jurisdiction of authorised telecom service providers. The freedom to interconnect centres does not cover it.
Answer client checks quickly
When a client’s vendor check asks how your calls are routed, a short written note on your telecom set-up answers it in one go.
Documents required
Entity papers
- Certificate of incorporation, MoA and AoA, or LLP agreement
- PAN, GST registration and shop or establishment registration where it applies
- Board resolution naming the person responsible for telecom compliance
Telecom set-up
- Agreements and bills for lines and leased circuits from authorised telecom providers
- Network diagram showing where the EPABX sits (India, a third-party data centre in India, or abroad)
- List of OSP centres and interconnections
Records
- CDRs, UDRs and system logs for one year
- Remote agent activity logs for one year, kept tamper-proof
- Internal policy on toll bypass and remote access
How it works
Check whether you are an OSP
We look at how your customers reach you. Voice over phone lines makes you an OSP; data-only work does not.
Set up the right entity
Here is the catch: the guidelines define an OSP as an Indian company or LLP. If you trade as a proprietor or partnership, we help you form a private limited company or an LLP first.
Map your network
We record where your EPABX sits, which providers supply your lines and how centres connect, in a short note your team can update.
Fix log retention and remote access
With your IT team or vendor, we confirm that CDRs, UDRs, system logs and remote agent logs are kept for one year and can be produced on request.
Review once a year
We recheck the file each year and whenever DoT issues new rules under the Telecommunications Act, 2023.
Timelines
Open without waiting on DoT
No DoT registration or approval is needed to open an OSP centre under the 2021 guidelines. In practice, a Faridabad team setting up a customer-care floor spends its lead time on the company or LLP, GST and local registrations, not on telecom paperwork.
Keep a rolling one-year log
Logs are kept for one year on a rolling basis. There is no routine reporting to DoT HQ or its field units, and no routine audit of OSP centres.
Respond when agencies ask
If DoT or a law enforcement agency asks for CDRs, UDRs or logs, you must produce them. Keep them in a form your team can pull out quickly.
What happens if you skip the safeguards
No fines under the guidelines
The 2021 revision removed penalties from the OSP guidelines altogether. The record-keeping rules still apply.
Trouble with agency requests
If you cannot produce one year of logs when asked, you are in breach of the guidelines and in a weak position with the agency asking.
Telecom law exposure
Routing calls in a way that bypasses licensed telecom providers is toll bypass. That falls under telecom law, now the Telecommunications Act, 2023, not under the relaxed OSP regime.
Frequently asked questions
Is OSP registration still required in India?
No, OSP registration is no longer required. DoT’s revised OSP guidelines of 23 June 2021 state that no registration is required for OSP centres in India and no bank guarantee is needed for any facility. The distinction between domestic and international OSPs was also removed. As of 2 October 2026 we have not seen a new registration replace it under the Telecommunications Act, 2023. You can open your centre without a DoT filing.
What exactly is an OSP?
An OSP is an Indian company or LLP providing voice-based business process outsourcing services. In practice that means a call centre where customers reach the OSP’s network over PSTN, mobile or ISDN lines. Entities that do not do voice-based BPO work are not regulated under the OSP guidelines. So a chat-support or data-processing unit is outside the scope, and you only need the usual business registrations.
What records must an OSP keep?
An OSP must keep Call Data Records, Usage Data Records and system logs for one year. For remote agents, logs of their activity must also be kept for one year in a tamper-proof form. These records are shared with DoT or law enforcement agencies only when they ask; there is no routine reporting. A simple retention policy with your dialler or EPABX vendor usually covers this.
Can my agents work from home?
Yes, agents can work from home or from anywhere in India under the 2021 guidelines. DoT extended work-from-home to work-from-anywhere within India. The condition is record-keeping: logs of remote agents’ activity must be maintained for one year. Agents working from outside India are not covered by this relaxation, so check with us before you plan that.
Can the EPABX be located outside India?
Yes, an OSP may use an EPABX at a foreign location under the 2021 guidelines. The OSP must still take the measures needed to comply with Indian law. OSPs may also place their own EPABX in third-party data centres in India. Whichever model you pick, we record it in your network note so the answer is ready when anyone asks.
Is there any DoT fee for an OSP?
No, there is no DoT fee, because there is no registration or approval to apply for. The 2021 guidelines also removed bank guarantees. Your costs are the usual ones for running a business: company or LLP incorporation, GST, local shop registration and payroll registrations. We can price those for you in one quote, so there are no surprises.
Does the Telecommunications Act, 2023 change OSP rules?
Not so far, on everything we can verify. The Act replaced the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, and DoT notified authorisation rules for telecom services and networks in June and July 2026. We found no new OSP-specific registration in them, and DoT still publishes the 2021 OSP guidelines. Telecom rules are moving fast, so we recheck the position at the start of each engagement.
Can two OSP centres share calls and infrastructure?
Yes, interconnection of voice calls between two or more OSP centres is permitted. This applies to centres of the same company, group companies or even unrelated companies, for OSP operations. Toll bypass, meaning illegal carriage of voice traffic that infringes on authorised telecom providers’ jurisdiction, is still not allowed. We help you document the set-up so the line between the two stays clear.
What it costs
Our fee plus the government fee that applies to your case, quoted before you commit. Tell us the situation and we will price it exactly.
Government side: there is no DoT registration fee or bank guarantee for OSP centres under the 23 June 2021 guidelines. Fees for incorporation, GST or local registrations apply as usual.
Ready to begin?
Tell us how your call centre is set up, and we will tell you what, if anything, DoT expects from you today and what to keep on file.