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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has initiated the phase-wise rollout of a new '1601' number series for service and transactional calls by utility, courier and logistics companies, aimed at helping consumers identify legitimate business calls and curb impersonation fraud.
Under the first phase, electricity distribution companies, water utilities, city gas distributors, LPG distribution entities and other utility providers will be covered. Courier companies, express logistics firms, parcel delivery providers and freight and logistics service providers will also come under the new numbering framework. Telecom service providers (TSPs) have been directed to complete the migration and onboarding of eligible entities covered under Phase-I within 90 days from the date of the order, according to a release issued by the Ministry of Communications on Monday. TRAI said the move is expected to help tackle fraudsters who use ordinary mobile numbers while posing as representatives of legitimate companies. "Their adoption is, therefore, expected to become an important tool in combating impersonation by fraudsters who use normal 10-digit numbers and falsely claim to represent legitimate businesses," the release said. It added that the "distinct numbering identity will enable the consumers to easily identify legitimate service and transactional calls," strengthening trust in voice-based communications. The 1601-series numbers will be allocated directly to eligible entities and not to intermediaries or aggregators. Telecom operators will be required to verify the eligibility of entities before assigning the numbers. Companies will also have to give an undertaking that the numbers will be used exclusively for service and transactional voice calls. The 1601-series cannot be used for promotional calls. The new series follows the adoption of the separate 1600-series for service and transactional calls by entities in the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sector and government. TRAI said the 1601 series was created separately for other sectors to avoid mixing important financial calls with service and transactional communications from utilities and other businesses. The regulator said implementation will be expanded phase-wise, with utilities, courier and logistics sectors covered initially. (ANI)
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