THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
NEW
DELHI, JULY 10, 2026
The Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a detailed clarification on the
functioning of the designated 1600 and 140 number series, seeking to dispel
misinformation and prevent misinterpretation surrounding their usage. The
regulator said recent reports in sections of the media had created confusion
regarding the operation of these number series, prompting the need for an
official clarification.
TRAI reiterated that
the 1600xx series has been exclusively designated for service and
transaction-related calls made by regulated entities in the banking, financial
services and insurance (BFSI) sector, including institutions regulated by the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI),
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), and Pension Fund
Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). The series is also earmarked for
government-to-citizen communications by government entities. The regulator
emphasized that the objective behind this dedicated numbering system is to
enhance the credibility and trustworthiness of critical communications. Under
the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulation (TCCCPR),
telecom operators are not permitted to tag, block or filter calls originating
from the 1600 series.
The regulator also reaffirmed that the 140xx series is reserved exclusively for promotional calls across all sectors. Businesses intending to use these numbers must register with telecom service providers under the TCCCPR framework and comply with the prescribed regulatory requirements. TRAI highlighted that consumers retain complete control over promotional communications through the Do Not Disturb (DND) registry, where they can choose to allow or block promotional calls from specific or all sectors. Customers who have opted to block promotional calls from selected sectors will not receive calls from 140 series numbers belonging to those sectors.
TRAI further clarified that while promotional calls from the 140 series may only be blocked based on a consumer's DND preferences, they should not be tagged or filtered in any other manner, as such actions could mislead customers who have explicitly chosen to receive promotional calls from certain sectors.
