TRAI's 1600 Series: Securing India's Consumer Trust

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) mandates the adoption of '1600' series numbers by entities regulated by IRDAI by February 15, 2026. This move aims to enhance consumer trust, diminish spam, and prevent fraudulent activities via voice calls across the BFSI sector.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a directive urging entities under the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) to switch to the '1600' series numbers for service and transactional calls by February 15, 2026. This initiative is aimed at bolstering consumer trust and curbing spam and fraudulent calls.

TRAI's new mandate comes after similar directives for entities under RBI, SEBI, and PFRDA, highlighting the importance of distinguishing legitimate BFSI sector communications from other commercial calls. So far, approximately 570 organizations have adopted over 3,000 numbers in the '1600' series.

This regulatory measure, developed in consultation with IRDAI and other stakeholders, is expected to significantly enhance consumer safety, curbing impersonation-based financial fraud through voice calls, and is a part of ongoing efforts to improve the BFSI communications framework.

(With inputs from agencies.)