The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has introduced a separate 10-digit numbering series starting with 160, which will be used for service and transactional calls made by government entities, regulators, and financial bodies. As per the office memorandum issued recently, this move will help in smoothening communication lines and also make things more clear for telecom subscribers.
Under the provisions of the Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulation (TCCCPR) 2018, the 10-digit number series starting with 160 will be used only for service and transactional voice calls, so that the recipients are clear about the source of the calls.
This will serve a dual purpose, one will be that the subscribers will be able to distinguish between actual calls made by government entities or regulated bodies and fake calls made by impostors posing as government officials.
The 10-digit number series format will be 1600ABCXXX for government and regulatory bodies where "AB" will be the telecom circle code - for example, 11 for Delhi or 22 for Mumbai - and the "C" position will define the telecom operator code. The last "XXX" will be digits running from 000 to 999.
Similarly, for financial entities who are being regulated by bodies like the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), and Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), the numbering format will be 1601ABCXXX.
For ensuring the integrity of the process, TSPs are mandated to carry out a thorough check of the entity before providing a number in the 160 series. Similarly, the seeking entities have to provide an undertaking that the number so allocated will be used only for service and transactional voice calls in accordance with TCCCPR 2018.
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