New Business News: Incoming calls for service will display 160 as prefix for transactions

The Department of Telecom has taken a significant step towards enhancing communication transparency by allocating a separate 10-digit numbering series starting with 160 for service and transactional calls made by government, regulators, and financial entities. This move, as per an office memorandum issued on Tuesday, aims to help telecom subscribers differentiate between legitimate calls from these entities and fraudulent calls from imposters.

The 10-digit number series has been carefully designed by the DoT to provide subscribers with information about the calling entity, the telecom operator, and the location of origin. This will enable users to identify the authenticity of the calls they receive and avoid falling prey to scams.

According to the official note, the numbering series 160 will be exclusively used for service and transactional voice calls in accordance with the Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulation (TCCCPR) 2018. For government and regulators, the number will be issued in the 1600ABCXXX format, where AB represents the telecom circle code and C denotes the telecom operator code, with XXX ranging from 000 to 999.

Similarly, financial entities regulated by RBI, SEBI, PFRDA, and IRDA will be assigned a 10-digit number in the 1601ABCXXX format. Telecom service providers are required to verify each entity thoroughly before assigning a number from the 160 series and ensure that the number is used exclusively for service and transactional voice calls as per TCCCPR 2018.

This initiative is expected to bolster communication security and build trust among subscribers, ultimately leading to a more secure and reliable telecom ecosystem.