Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) rolls out new '1601' number series

• 11 Aug 2026
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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has started the phase-wise roll out of the new 1601 number series for service and transactional calls. The new numbering series will be used by utility, courier and logistics companies. The main purpose of the series is to make it easier for people to recognise business calls that are genuine and avoid calls made by fraudsters pretending to represent a company.

In the first phase of the roll out, the new number series will cover electricity distribution companies, water supply companies, city gas distributors, LPG distributors and other utility service providers. Courier companies, express logistics companies, parcel delivery services, freight companies and other logistics service providers will also be covered under the new numbering framework.

The telecom service providers have been asked to complete onboarding and migration of eligible entities covered under the first phase within 90 days from date of the order. The Ministry of Communications announced the development in a release issued on 10 August 2026.

TRAI Move is Expected to Curb Impersonation Fraud

According to TRAI, it is anticipated that the move will help to tackle fraudsters who make use of ordinary mobile numbers while pretending to be representatives of legitimate companies. As per the release, “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 further added that the distinct numbering identity will allow the consumers to identify the legitimate service and transactional calls easily. It will strengthen trust in voice-based communications.

1601-Series Numbers’ Allocation & Usage

The 1601-series numbers will be given directly to eligible companies. They will not be given to intermediaries or aggregators. Prior to assigning the numbers, telecom operators will first have to check whether the applicant is eligible to use the series.

The companies receiving these numbers will also have to provide an undertaking that the numbers will only be used for service and transactional voice calls. The 1601-series cannot be used for the purpose of making promotional calls.

1601-Series distinct from 1600-Series

The new 1601-series is different from the 1600-series meant for services and transactional calls by entities in the BFSI sector and government. As per TRAI, the 1601 series was created separately for other sectors so as to avoid mixing crucial financial calls with service and transactional communications from utilities and other businesses. 

According to the regulator, the implementation of the new 1601-series will be expanded in a phase-wise manner. Initially, utilities, couriers and logistics sectors will be covered.

Source: MSN