Are you receiving calls from the 1600 or 140 series? Know the difference between the two and whether you can block them | Today’s news
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a clarification on the purpose and operation of the designated 1600 and 140 number ranges.
The regulator said the two series serve completely different purposes. While 1600 series numbers are reserved for service and transaction related communications, 140 series numbers are exclusively for promotional or marketing calls.
What are 1600 series calls?
The 1600 series is intended for service and transactional calls by banks and financial institutions to their existing customers, along with government-to-citizen communications.
These numbers can only be used by entities in the BFSI sector that are 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) or the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
State administration bodies can also use this number to communicate with citizens.
Neither carriers nor any third-party applications may flag, filter, or block calls starting with the 1600 series. Flagging means displaying labels such as “spam” or “suspected spam” on incoming calls, while filtering means screening or otherwise handling calls before they reach the customer.
What are 140 series calls?
The 140 series is intended exclusively for promotional or marketing calls by businesses across industries. Any company wishing to make promotional calls using this range must first register with their telecom service provider under TRAI’s Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR).
Unlike the 1600 series, these calls are subject to customer preferences under the Do Not Disturb (DND) system.
Customers who have opted out of promotional calls from certain sectors or all sectors through the DND Registry will not receive Series 140 marketing calls from these categories. They can register or update their DND preferences using various channels including the TRAI DND app.
TRAI has also clarified that telecom operators should not flag or filter 140 series calls except where blocking is required based on the registered preference of a DND customer.
Key differences between 1600 and 140 series calls
In a post on X TRAI highlighted the key differences between 1600 and 140 calls.
Disclaimer: This is for informational purposes only. Please visit the official website for the latest updates and instructions.
