1600 for Trusted Calls, 140 for Promotions: TRAI Clears the Air on Designated Number Series

On 10 July 2026, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued a clarification regarding the functioning of the designated 1600 and 140 number series, noting that certain media reports could lead to misinformation or misinterpretation of their operation.

Key Clarifications:

1. TRAI has clarified the regulatory position governing the designated 1600 and 140 number series.

2. The 1600xx series has been designated for:

   • Service and transactional calls made by regulated entities in the BFSI sector; and

   • Government-to-citizen communications by government entities.

3. The BFSI entities covered under the framework include entities regulated by:

   • 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).

4. TRAI stated that the objective behind the dedicated 1600 series is to make important service and transactional communications more trustworthy for customers and citizens.

5. Under the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2010 (TCCCPR), calls originating from the 1600 series cannot be tagged, blocked or filtered.

6. The 140xx series has been designated for promotional calls by entities across all sectors.

7. Entities intending to make promotional calls through 140 series numbers are required to register with Telecom Service Providers under the TCCCPR framework and comply with the applicable regulations.

8. Customers can choose to receive or block promotional calls from the 140 series by registering their preferences on the Do Not Disturb (DND) Registry.

9. Customers who have blocked a particular sector or all sectors on the DND Registry will not receive promotional calls from 140 series numbers belonging to those blocked sectors.

10. DND preferences can be registered through multiple channels, including the TRAI DND App.

11. TRAI has clarified that calls originating from 140 series numbers cannot be tagged or filtered, except where blocking is carried out in accordance with DND preferences registered by customers.

12. According to TRAI, tagging of 140 series calls could mislead customers who have otherwise opted to receive promotional calls from specific sectors.

Also Read: No more guessing who’s calling as TRAI Approves CNAP Rollout for Telecom Networks with Verified Caller ID

[TRAI Press Note on 1600 and 140 Series, dt 10-7-2026]