What the 1600 Series Mean?
This call format helps recipients quickly verify a call’s authenticity based on its origin and service provider.
As part of TRAI’s effort to regulate commercial communications and protect consumers, the 1600 series has been introduced. This series comprises 10-digit phone numbers starting with “1600” or “1601”, designated for specific types of communications:
- 1600ABCXXX: Assigned to central and state government agencies for official service and transactional calls.
- 1601ABCXXX: Allocated to financial institutions regulated by bodies such as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
In these formats, “ABC” represents the telecom circle and service provider codes.
Example Breakdown
Consider the number 1600882001
- 1600: Indicates a service or transactional call from a government entity
- 88: Represents the Gujarat telecom circle.
- 2: Denotes Reliance Jio as the service provider.
- 001: A unique identifier assigned to the specific entity making the call.
This format helps recipients quickly verify a call’s authenticity based on its origin and service provider, hence enhancing trust and reducing fraud by identifying legitimate calls from government and financial institutions.
It also improves clarity by clearly distinguishing service calls (1600) from promotional calls (140 series).
Several institutions, such as SBI Card, have already adopted the 1600 series, while many others in banking, insurance, and financial services are in the process of doing so.
If you’re interested in exploring how this feature can be integrated into your business, we’d be happy to connect:
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