Trai sets deadlines for BFSI to adopt '1600' series for official calls

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on Wednesday announced firm deadlines for various categories of financial institutions to start using the dedicated ‘1600’ calling series. This move aims to curb impersonation-based financial fraud carried out through phone calls, Trai said in an official statement. 

The ‘1600’ series will be used by regulated organisations such as banks, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), mutual funds and other financial entities for service and transactional calls. The goal is to help people easily identify genuine calls from regulated institutions and reduce cases of fraud. 

"Trai today issued a direction mandating the last dates by which adoption of the '1600' numbering series should be completed by entities regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA)," the press release said. 

Trai said the direction has been issued “to enhance consumer trust, curbing spam, and preventing fraudulent activities perpetrated through voice calls”. 

Who has to onboard and by when?

 

Trai has set specific deadlines for different types of entities:

 

*  Commercial banks, including public sector, private sector, and foreign banks, must shift to the 1600 series by 1 January 2026.

 

*  Mutual funds and asset management companies (AMCs) must complete adoption by 15 February 2026.

 

*  Qualified stockbrokers (QSBs) need to be onboarded by 15 March 2026.

 

*  Large NBFCs, payments banks, and small finance banks must migrate by 1 February 2026.

 

*  Remaining NBFCs, co-operative banks, regional rural banks and smaller entities must follow by 1 March 2026.

 

*  Central recordkeeping agencies (CRAs) and pension fund managers have to adopt the series by 15 February 2026.

 

For the insurance sector, Trai said deadlines are still being discussed with the Irdai and will be announced later.

 

“For the time being, other Sebi-registered intermediaries may voluntarily migrate to the 1600-series after verification of their registration details,” Trai added.

 

Why does change matter?

 

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has allocated the ‘1600’ series specifically for organisations in the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector, as well as for government bodies. This helps distinguish official service or transactional calls from general commercial communications.

 

According to Trai, the dedicated number series “will enable citizens to reliably identify legitimate calls originating from regulated financial institutions”.

 

Current progress and industry coordination

 

Trai stated that around 485 organisations have already adopted the 1600 series, taking up over 2,800 numbers in total.

 

The regulator said it has been actively engaging with telecom companies and financial regulators to smooth the rollout. Inputs on timelines were taken through the Joint Committee of Regulators (JCoR) after consultations with RBI, Sebi and PFRDA.

 

“Based on the consultations held with them, a phase-wise implementation schedule has now been issued,” Trai said.

 

It added that the time is right to mandate completion timelines so that institutions still using standard 10-digit numbers also switch over, reducing the chances of fraudulent calls being made “in the guise of trusted financial institutions”.