
Amidst the rising spam call frauds in the country, the government has taken a significant step to address this issue by introducing a new number series specifically for transactional and service voice calls.
Details of the New Number Series:
As per a Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) release, all transactional and service voice calls from financial entities will now have 160 as a prefix. This move aims to enable easy identification of legitimate calls and prevent innocent citizens from falling victim to fraudsters.
Allocations and Expansion:
In the first phase, the 160 mobile phone series has been allocated for all entities regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). This allocation will eventually be expanded to include banks and other financial institutions, both domestic and international, as well as members of the Association of National Exchanges Members of India (ANMI) and all telecom service providers.
Meeting with Regulatory Bodies and Financial Institutions:
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) convened a meeting with representatives from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), and other financial institutions, as well as all the telecom service providers (TSPs), to discuss the implementation and impact of the new number series.
Transition of Existing Number Series:
During the TRAI meeting, it was also discussed that the operation of the 140 series, currently used for promotional purposes, is being migrated to the DLT platform, and scrubbing of digital consent is also being operationalized.
Format of the New Number Series:
Earlier reports indicated that the numbers will be issued in 1600ABCXXX format for government, financial institutions, and telecom regulators. The AB will represent the code of the telecom circle, such as 11 for Delhi and 22 for Mumbai, while the digit at the C place will indicate the code of the telecom operator.