TRAI New Series: Currently, many calls from banks, companies, and other service providing institutions come from normal 10-digit numbers.

(TRAI introduced new number series)

TRAI New Series: It may now be easier to identify whether a call is for a company's service or a fraudulent one. TRAI has decided to introduce the 1601 number series for services like electricity, water, gas, LPG, and courier. Companies will use numbers in this series for calls related to their services and transactions.

Currently, such calls come from normal numbers.

Currently, many calls from banks, companies, and other service providers come from normal 10-digit numbers. Cybercriminals also take advantage of this by calling people pretending to be companies or government departments.

Now, with a separate number series, genuine service calls can be easily identified and will also help in curbing fake calls from normal mobile numbers.

These companies will get the number 1601 first.

TRAI has decided to implement the 1601 series in a phased manner. The first phase covers the utility, courier, and logistics sectors, including power distribution companies, water utilities, city gas companies, and LPG distributors. Additionally, courier, parcel delivery, express logistics, and freight companies will also be able to use this series.

Migration will have to be done within 90 days.

Telecom companies must complete the migration and onboarding of eligible entities to 1601 numbers within 90 days of Phase 1. Telecom companies will verify the respective entities before assigning them. This means that no company will be able to obtain a 1601 number directly.

There will be no promotional calling from the 1601 number.

TRAI has also clarified that the 1601 number cannot be used for advertising or promotional calls. It will only be used for essential service and transaction-related calls.

Why is this change important for the common people?

Fraudulent calls to mobile phones are a major problem today. Scammers use normal mobile numbers to pretend to be employees of banks, electricity companies, courier companies, or other services. Now, different number series can make it easier to distinguish between genuine and fraudulent calls.

However, don't blindly trust a call based solely on the number 1601. Never share OTPs, PINs, passwords, or banking information over the phone.