The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) mentioned that the incumbent telecom operators have begun rolling out a devoted “1600” quantity sequence for banking, monetary providers, and insurance coverage (BFSI) corporations. The transfer goals to assist shoppers simply determine real transaction and repair calls, thereby enhancing the credibility of voice communications within the sector.
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Introduction of the 1600 Collection
“Presently, we’re specializing in the implementation of the 1600 sequence. This sequence has been allotted for transaction and repair requires the banking, monetary and insurance coverage (BFSI) sector,” TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti instructed ETTelecom.
Lahoti reportedly famous that the 1600 sequence initiative within the BFSI sector will “give quite a lot of credibility” to voice calls and shoppers can determine it as a transactional service, and never meant for a promotional function.
Present Implementation Standing
“The work is in progress, so the quantity sequence has been given to the service suppliers and now the principal entities are taking the numbers from them. We’ve additionally requested the respective sectoral regulators to advise the entities regulated by them for early adoption of this technique,” Lahoti was quoted as saying within the report.
Based on the regulator, a few of the BFSI gamers, such because the State Financial institution of India (SBI) Card, have already begun adopting the brand new numbering system. TRAI plans to ultimately mandate using this sequence for all service and transactional calls from giant business entities inside the BFSI sector.
“So, now we have began from the BFSI sector, it’ll take a while to finish it, then we are going to take up different sectors additionally,” he added.
This initiative follows intensive consultations with stakeholders, together with incumbent telecom suppliers and sectoral regulators. TRAI has additionally urged regulators to encourage early adoption of the system amongst entities they oversee.
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Function of the Joint Committee of Regulators
In 2022, TRAI established a Joint Committee of Regulators (JCoR) comprising representatives from the Reserve Financial institution of India, the Securities and Trade Board of India, the Insurance coverage Regulatory and Growth Authority, the Ministry of House Affairs, and the Division of Telecommunications. The committee is tasked with overseeing the implementation of the 1600 sequence and stopping misuse beneath the Telecom Industrial Communication Buyer Desire Regulation, 2018.
In April 2025, JCoR deliberated on the modalities for extending the 1600 sequence to transactional and repair calls from authorities and monetary sector entities, following the launch of the Digital Consent Acquisition platform.
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