The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), on July 10, 2026, issued a clarification regarding the functioning of the designated 1600 and 140 series numbers to address misinformation and ensure proper understanding of their regulatory framework. The clarification reiterates the objectives of these designated number series under the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR).
TRAI clarified that the 1600 series is exclusively designated for service and transactional calls made by regulated entities in the BFSI sector (regulated by RBI, SEBI, IRDAI and PFRDA) to their existing customers, as well as for Government-to-Citizen (G2C) communications. To preserve the authenticity and reliability of these critical communications, tagging, blocking or filtering of calls originating from the 1600 series is not permitted under the TCCCPR.
Further, the Authority clarified that the 140 series is designated exclusively for promotional calls by entities across all sectors. Such entities must register with Telecom Service Providers and comply with the TCCCPR framework. Customers may choose to receive or block promotional calls through the Do Not Disturb (DND) Registry, including via the TRAI DND App. Except for blocking based on customer preferences registered on the DND Registry, tagging or filtering of calls originating from the 140 series is not permitted.
[Press Release No. 91/2026]
