For years, anyone starting a call centre in India had to deal with OSP registration: forms, separate networks for domestic and international work, bank guarantees and strict rules on agents working from home. Many business owners still believe those rules apply. They mostly do not. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) rewrote the OSP guidelines in 2020 and simplified them again in 2021. This guide explains what OSP means, what changed and what a call centre still needs to take care of. It is a general overview, not legal advice; check the current DoT text before you decide.
What is an OSP?
OSP stands for Other Service Provider. Under DoT’s rules, an OSP is a company that provides services such as call centres, BPO, telemarketing, telemedicine, tele-education or other IT enabled services using telecom resources, without being a telecom operator itself. In practice, almost every contact centre, captive customer service team and BPO in India falls under this description.
The old OSP rules, briefly
Before the reform, OSPs had to:
- Register with DoT before starting operations.
- Keep domestic and international call centre networks separate.
- Get approvals and in some cases bank guarantees for work-from-home and remote agent setups.
- Follow detailed rules on network diagrams, logs and inspections.
These rules were written for large BPOs with dedicated floors. They were hard for small businesses and almost impossible to follow when the pandemic sent agents home in 2020.
What changed in 2020 and 2021
DoT issued new, much lighter OSP guidelines in November 2020 and simplified them further in June 2021. The main changes:
| Area | Before | After the 2020 and 2021 guidelines |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | Required with DoT | Not required |
| Domestic vs international OSP | Treated separately, with separate networks | Distinction removed |
| Work from home | Needed approvals and conditions | Allowed, including work from anywhere |
| Bank guarantees | Required for some setups | Removed |
| Sharing infrastructure | Restricted | Allowed, including shared EPABX between centres |
| Network diagrams and inspections | Detailed requirements | Largely removed |
The aim was to make India easier for BPO, IT enabled services and in-house customer service teams. For most businesses running a support desk, sales team or helpline, the practical message is simple: you do not need OSP registration to start, and your agents can work from home.
What still applies
Lighter rules are not no rules. A call centre still has to work within the wider telecom and data framework:
- Use telecom resources properly. Your SIP trunks, PRI lines and numbers come from licensed operators and must be used as your contract allows. Connect them to a proper IP PBX rather than ad hoc devices. See SIP trunk in India.
- Keep records. Keep call detail records and system logs for the period the guidelines and your provider require. A good PBX keeps CDRs and recordings with the reports, so this is not extra work.
- Follow TRAI rules for commercial calls. OSP reform did not change TCCCPR, DND or the number series for promotional and service calls. Read TRAI rules for business calls.
- Protect personal data. Recordings, CRM data and chat logs fall under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act. Read DPDP Act and call recording.
- Check client contracts. Banks, insurers, government departments and international clients often have their own security rules for remote agents that go beyond DoT’s.
Running work-from-home agents the right way
The reform made home agents legal and normal, but quality and security still depend on how you set it up.
- Give home agents an extension on the company PBX, not their personal mobile. Calls then use your numbers, your recording and your reports. A softphone or a BitVoice IP phone at home both work; see work from home call centre softphone.
- Check the home network. Most call quality problems come from Wi-Fi and home routers. See VoIP call quality for remote agents.
- Supervise the same way as in the office. In Voxdial Contact Center, supervisors see remote agents on the same wallboard and can listen, whisper and barge on their calls. Breaks and agent states are tracked the same way for everyone.
- Control access. Use individual logins, limit who can download recordings and remove access as soon as someone leaves.
- Set clear rules for agents. A quiet room, no recording or photographing of screens, no customer data on personal devices.
For people management tips, read managing remote call centre agents.
Captive teams and small businesses
You do not need to be a BPO for this to matter. A hospital appointment desk, a college admission helpline or a dealer support team that takes customer calls is also using telecom resources to serve customers. The same simplified guidelines apply, and the same good practice on records, data and supervision helps.
If you are setting up from scratch, our guide to setting up a call centre in India walks through seats, lines, software and staffing step by step.
Planning an office or work-from-home contact centre? Talk to BitVoice about the right setup.
FAQs
Do I need OSP registration to start a call centre in India?
Under the guidelines DoT issued in 2020 and simplified in 2021, OSP registration is no longer required. Check the current DoT text and your client contracts before you start.
Can call centre agents work from home in India?
Yes. The revised OSP guidelines allow work from home and work from anywhere. Give home agents an extension on your company PBX so calls stay recorded and reported.
Do the OSP changes affect TRAI rules on telemarketing?
No. TRAI’s TCCCPR rules on DND, consent and number series for promotional and service calls still apply.
Is this guide legal advice?
No. It is a general overview. Rules change, so confirm the current position with DoT notifications, your telecom provider or a legal adviser.
