More spam? India issues new 1601 number for these service calls
Last Updated: 2026-08-11 14:22:36
The Indian telecom authority has issued a new 1601 number that is a follow up on the 1600 number used by banks and financial services to call the consumers. The new 1600 series number has been allotted to a dedicated set of services that includes your courier delivery and utility services.
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India introduces new 1601 number for service calls.- It's for courier, utility, and transactional services.
- Aims to reduce spam and clarify caller identity.
The telecom regulatory authority of India or TRAI has ordered the telecom operators to start issuing the 1601 number for special businesses and help consumers identify the nature of callers without annoying them with spam calls.
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What does the 1601 number offer to the callers?
The new 1600 series number has been made available to Jio, Vodafone Idea and Airtel and the 1601 number has been reserved for services and transactional calls. This number is not supposed to be used for promotional calls, as directed by TRAI to the operator who has to communicate to the businesses.
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Why do we need a 1601 number for calls?
The need for the 1601 number became apparent after the 1600 number was used by banking and financial services which sometimes ended up being sale calls for loans and insurance. The authorities have felt that a new number which caters to deliveries will allow people to feel less heightened by fear of scams and answer to get their order delivered.
The 1601 number will be issued to electricity billing services, water providers, gas and LPG providers. In addition to these, delivery agents from companies like Shiprocket or Delhivery will be calling the consumers from this number.
Will having two 1600 series numbers reduce spam calls?
We can’t say that for certain but having two 1600 series numbers with more clarity about their use will surely help people identify when their bank is calling, and when they are being called by a delivery person which will be more urgent for them to receive the item.