TRAI New Rule: Calls from '1600' numbers cannot be blocked; here is why TRAI gave this response..

If you receive calls from the '1600' number series on your mobile and wish to block them, it is not possible to do so. Telecom regulator TRAI clarified on Friday that no mobile app can block calls originating from the '1600' number series, as these calls are designated for communication between the public and government or regulated entities. TRAI stated that calls from the '140' number series can only be blocked through 'Do Not Disturb' (DND) registration.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) clarified that under the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR), calls from the '1600' series are not permitted to be tagged, blocked, or filtered.

According to TRAI, the '1600' number series is used by banking, financial services, and insurance companies—regulated by bodies such as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), SEBI, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA)—to make service- and transaction-related calls to their customers. Additionally, government agencies use this same phone number series to communicate with citizens.

**Aiming to Build Trust Among Citizens**
The telecom regulator stated that the objective behind designating a separate phone number series for such critical calls is to make them more trustworthy for citizens. TRAI further noted that the '140' number series is used by registered telemarketing companies for promotional calls. These calls cannot be tagged or filtered via apps and can only be blocked through 'Do Not Disturb' (DND) registration.

**How ​​to Use DND**
According to the regulator, consumers can register their preferences on the DND registry to either allow or block promotional calls from specific sectors or all sectors. If a consumer has blocked calls from a specific sector, they will not receive any calls from the '140' series associated with that sector. The Authority stated that 'Do Not Disturb' (DND) registration can be done through various channels, including TRAI's DND app. Regarding calls from the '140' series, they cannot be tagged or filtered, as doing so could confuse consumers who have permitted calls from that specific sector.

**Neither series classified as spam or fraud**
TRAI's clarification implies that consumers will not be able to mark calls originating from the '1600' and '140' number series as 'spam' or 'fraud'. Meanwhile, Rishit Jhunjhunwala, CEO of the caller identification app 'Truecaller', stated that there has been a significant rise in spam calls from the '140' and '1600' series. People do not even answer more than 51 million (5.1 crore) calls received daily from these two series. He noted a 208% increase in actions taken to block calls from the '1600' series since October 2025, with over 74 million (7.4 crore) manual blocks recorded against this series in the last eight months. Jhunjhunwala added that Truecaller users are currently blocking approximately 400,000 calls from the '140' series and around 125,000 calls from the '1600' series every day.

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