Incoming service and transaction related calls will now start with 160. The Department of Telecommunications has allocated a separate 10-digit number series starting with 160 for service and transaction related phone calls made by government regulators and financial institutions. The new number series will be issued in the format 1600ABCXXX for the government and regulators.
New Delhi. Incoming calls related to service and transactions will now start with number 160. The Department of Telecommunications has allocated a separate 10-digit number series starting with 160 for service and transaction-related phone calls made by the government, regulators and financial institutions.
This 10-digit series has been designed in such a way that telecom customers will be able to know about the calling companies along with the telecom operator and the location of the call.
The move is aimed at helping customers differentiate between calls made by government bodies and regulated entities and calls made by fraudsters impersonating government officials. The new number series will be issued to government and regulators in the format 1600ABCXXX.
The ‘AB’ will represent the code of the telecom circle, with 11 for Delhi and 22 for Mumbai. The digit ‘C’ will represent the code of the telecom service provider while ‘XXX’ will be a digit between 000-999.
Similarly, for financial institutions regulated by RBI, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) and Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), 10-digit numbers will be issued in the format 1601ABCXXX.
The telecom service provider will do proper verification of each company before allocating a number in the 160 series. Apart from this, it will also have to take an affidavit from the interested company that it will use the number allotted under this series only for service and transaction calls.
