The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday issued a directive mandating phase-wise adoption of the ‘1600’ numbering series by entities regulated by the RBI, SEBI, and PFRDA. The move aims to enhance consumer trust, reduce spam, and prevent financial fraud conducted through misleading voice calls.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) assigned the 1600-series for use by BFSI institutions and government bodies to help citizens easily identify legitimate service and transactional calls. TRAI has been coordinating with telecom operators and sector regulators, resulting in 485 entities already adopting the series with over 2,800 numbers in use.

With stakeholders indicating readiness, TRAI has now formalised timelines for full migration:

SEBI-regulated entities: Mutual Funds and AMCs must adopt the 1600-series by February 15, 2026; Qualified Stockbrokers by March 15, 2026. Other intermediaries may voluntarily migrate.

RBI-regulated entities: Commercial banks must onboard by January 1, 2026; large NBFCs, Payments Banks, and Small Finance Banks by February 1, 2026; and remaining NBFCs, cooperative and regional rural banks by March 1, 2026.

PFRDA-regulated entities: CRAs and Pension Fund Managers must adopt the series by February 15, 2026.

TRAI said discussions with IRDAI are ongoing to finalise timelines for insurance sector entities.

The regulator noted that a systematic, time-bound transition to the 1600-series will significantly strengthen consumer protection and reduce impersonation-based financial scams conducted over phone calls.