TRAI mandates 1600-series numbers for insurers to curb spam and fraud

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has directed all insurance entities regulated by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) to adopt the 1600-series numbering system for making service and transactional calls to consumers, as part of its broader push to curb spam and fraudulent voice communications.

In a direction issued on December 16, TRAI said insurers must complete the transition by February 15, 2026. The move aims to help consumers easily identify legitimate calls from regulated financial entities and reduce the risk of fraudsters impersonating insurers using regular 10-digit mobile numbers.

TRAI sets early-2026 deadline for BFSI to transition to ‘1600’ calling range to combat spoofing

The mandate has been issued in consultation with IRDAI and follows similar directions earlier rolled out for entities regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).

Together, these measures bring the entire banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) ecosystem under a uniform trusted-calling framework.

The 1600-series numbering range has been assigned by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) specifically for BFSI entities and government organisations. Calls originating from this series are intended to be clearly distinguishable from promotional or unverified commercial communications, enabling consumers to recognise genuine service or transaction-related outreach.

TRAI said it has been engaging regularly with telecom service providers (TSPs) and sectoral regulators to accelerate adoption of the 1600-series. As a result, around 570 entities have already migrated to the new system, collectively subscribing to more than 3,000 1600-series numbers.

However, the regulator noted that several regulated entities continue to use standard 10-digit numbers for customer service and transactional calls, creating opportunities for misuse by fraudsters. Based on stakeholder consultations, including deliberations under the Joint Committee of Regulators (JCoR), TRAI concluded that a time-bound mandate was necessary to complete the migration.

“The structured and time-bound adoption of the 1600-series will significantly improve consumer safety and help curb impersonation-based financial frauds perpetrated through voice calls,” the regulator said.

TRAI updates list of authorised Digital Addressable Systems auditors

The latest direction marks another step in TRAI’s efforts to strengthen trust in voice communications, amid rising instances of scam calls and misleading financial solicitations targeting consumers across the country.