TRAI directs use of 1601-series for service, transactional calls by utilities, logistics cos

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Monday directed entities in sectors other than Banking, Financial Services & Insurance (BFSI) and Government to use a separate 1601-series number for transactional and service calls.

In the first phase, the 1601 number series will cover transactional and service calls made by entities in the utilities, courier and logistics sectors, TRAI said. It also clarified that the dedicated number series should not be used for promotional voice calls by any entity.

Currently, the 1600-series numbers are allotted for service and transactional calls by BFSI and government entities.


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The telecom regulator said a separate 1601 series has been issued for other sectors, given the critical and sensitive nature of communications by BFSI and government entities. The move is aimed at preventing important financial voice calls from being mixed with service and transactional calls from other sectors.

"After widespread adoption of the 1600-series numbers for service and transactional calls by BFSI sector entities, which has provided valuable experience for extending the trusted numbering framework to the other sectors also, TRAI has now initiated phase-wise implementation of the 1601-series allotted by the DoT (Department of Telecom) for similar calls by the entities in sectors other than the BFSI sector and Government," TRAI said.

According to the regulator, following consultations with stakeholders, it has decided to implement the 1601-series for utilities, courier and logistics entities under Phase-I.

The 1601-series numbers will be allocated directly to eligible entities and not to intermediaries or aggregators, after due verification by telecom service providers (TSPs).

TRAI said the adoption of the dedicated series is expected to help combat impersonation by fraudsters who use regular 10-digit numbers and falsely claim to represent legitimate businesses.

The distinct numbering identity will also help consumers identify legitimate service and transactional calls, thereby strengthening trust in voice-based communications, TRAI said.

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Initially, the 1601-series will be allocated to eligible entities in the utilities and logistics and courier services sectors. The utilities category includes electricity distribution companies, water utilities, city gas distribution companies, LPG distribution entities and similar service providers.

The logistics and courier category will cover courier firms, express logistics companies, parcel delivery service providers, and freight and logistics service providers engaged in the delivery of consignments.

Telecom operators have been asked to complete the migration and onboarding of eligible entities covered under the first phase within 90 days.

"The TSPs shall verify the eligibility of entities before assigning 1601-series numbers, and obtain an undertaking from them regarding exclusive use of these numbers for service and transactional voice calls," TRAI said.

TRAI has mandated the use of the 1600-series for service and transactional calls by regulated banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) entities, as well as government-to-citizen communications. The 140-series numbers, meanwhile, are used for promotional calls by registered entities across sectors.

Last month, TRAI and Truecaller were involved in a standoff over the display of tags on dedicated 140 and 1600 number series. Truecaller alleged that spam calls had increased after TRAI mandated the use of dedicated 140 and 1600 number series while preventing caller ID apps from displaying community-reported spam information for those numbers.

The regulator responded that Truecaller should display a label informing users that they can "exercise their choice" to block unwanted communication from the 140 series through TRAI's official Do Not Disturb (DND) preference management app.

TRAI has repeatedly cautioned call management apps and users that under no circumstances should the 1600 number be tagged as spam, as the series is used for service and transaction calls by regulated BFSI entities — those regulated by RBI, SEBI, IRDAI and PFRDA — to their existing customers, as well as by government entities for government-to-citizen communication.

Calls from the 1600 series could include fraud alerts and transaction verification, among other critical communications. Tagging or labelling such calls in any form could therefore have adverse consequences for consumers.

According to a recent TRAI report, 1.15 billion calls originated from 1600 dedicated series numbers during Q1 FY2026-27.

(With PTI inputs)