If your company calls customers about electricity bills, gas services, water supply, parcel deliveries, or other service-related updates, a new telecom numbering requirement may affect how you make those calls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On 10 August 2026,<\/strong> TRAI introduced the 1601 numbering series<\/strong><\/a> for service and transactional voice calls made by eligible entities outside the BFSI and government sectors. Utilities, courier companies, and logistics businesses are included in the first phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had already approved the allocation of the 1601 series on 30 June 2026<\/strong>. The series is intended to give legitimate service calls a recognizable identity and help customers distinguish them from promotional or potentially fraudulent calls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The important question for businesses is simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your company makes customer service or transaction-related calls, do you need to move to 1601, and what should you do now?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This guide explains the 1601 number series in simple terms and outlines the steps businesses should take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 1601 number series<\/strong> is a dedicated numbering range for service and transactional voice calls made by eligible entities outside the BFSI and government sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Department of Telecommunications approved the 1601 series specifically for these types of calls under the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR), 2018<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The DoT’s allocation document specifies the 1601 numbering structure and requires telecom service providers to verify entities before assigning numbers. Businesses must also provide an undertaking that the assigned number will be used only for permitted service and transactional calls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DoT: 1601 Numbering Series Allocation Order<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In simple terms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1601 is designed to help customers recognize legitimate service-related calls from eligible businesses.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, a customer may receive a call from a utility company about a bill, a courier company about a delivery, or another eligible service provider about an existing transaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Customers often receive calls from unknown 10-digit numbers. This makes it difficult to know whether a call is genuine, promotional, or potentially fraudulent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TRAI’s broader approach to designated calling series is intended to make legitimate commercial communications easier for consumers to identify.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The same principle already exists with the 1600 series<\/strong>, which is used for service and transactional calls by eligible BFSI and government entities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The government has explained that designated numbering helps consumers distinguish genuine service and transactional calls from other commercial communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PIB: Government explanation of designated 1600-series numbers<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The 1601 series extends this approach to eligible entities outside the BFSI and government sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two numbering series serve similar purposes, but they apply to different groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is 1601 Number Series?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why TRAI Introduced 1601?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1600 vs 1601: What is the Difference?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n