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TRAI Confirms 1600 and 140 Series Phone Numbers Cannot Be Tagged, Filtered

TRAI Confirms 1600 and 140 Series Phone Numbers Cannot Be Tagged, Filtered

TRAI claims that incorrect tagging of 140 and 1600 series phone numbers can mislead customers.

Written by Dhruv Raghav, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 13 July 2026 16:55 IST

TRAI Confirms 1600 and 140 Series Phone Numbers Cannot Be Tagged, Filtered

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TRAI says customers can block certain numbers via DND registry

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Highlights

TRAI says only 140 series phone numbers can be blocked
Truecaller CEO recently claimed that spam calls have increased
TRAI has reserved 1600 series phone numbers for BFSI firms

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recently sought greater powers from the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), which would reportedly allow the regulator to take action against call management apps and similar online platforms for wrongfully tagging 140 and 1600 series phone numbers as spam. This decision drew criticism from a Truecaller executive, who said that TRAI's earlier mandate already restricts tech firms from tagging 140 and 1600 series phone numbers, which are reserved for telemarketers and firms that handle transactions. Now, TRAI has clarified its regulatory position on the matter, highlighting the reasons behind the 2025 mandate.

TRAI Says Only 1600 Series Phone Numbers Cannot Be Blocked

In a recent press release, TRAI clarified that it has mandated the use of 1600 series phone numbers for Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) firms, which are regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).

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Moreover, the phone numbers starting with 1600 are reserved for entities involved in “government to citizen communication”. Hence, the 1600 series phone numbers cannot be blocked by platforms in India. Similarly, these phone numbers can neither be tagged as spam nor filtered out by the call management systems, under the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulation (TCCCPR).

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On the other hand, TRAI also mandates the use of phone numbers starting with 140 by telemarketers, who make promotional calls regardless of their sector. Such firms must register themselves with telecom service providers under the TCCCPR framework to obtain a 140 series phone number.

The authority further clarified that while 1600 series cannot be blocked, customers do have the right to block the 140 series phone numbers, if they wish to. However, this requires them to register their preference on the Do Not Disturb (DND) registry.

“A customer who has blocked any or all sectors from receiving promotional calls on the DND registry will not receive any calls from 140 series originating from entities of the blocked sectors,” TRAI said. The authority says that users do this through multiple means, including the TRAI DND app.

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However, like the 1600 series, calls originating from 140 series phone numbers can neither be tagged nor filtered. TRAI claims that the blanket mandate aims to curb “any” or incorrect tagging, which can mislead a customer who has not blocked such phone numbers via the DND registry.

This comes after the Truecaller CEO Rishit Jhunjhunwala criticised recent moves by TRAI after it reportedly sought more powers from MeitY to regulate call management apps and online platforms, like Truecaller, for “wrongfully” tagging and blocking phone numbers starting with “140” and “1600”.

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On top of this, Jhunjhunwala revealed that in late 2025, TRAI asked the company not to display community reports and spam information against 140 and 1600 series numbers. This reportedly led to a significant increase in the 140 and 1600 series phone numbers going unanswered.

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Further reading: TRAI, Telecom, Truecaller

Dhruv Raghav

Email Dhruv Raghav

Dhruv Raghav is currently working as a Senior Sub Editor at Gadgets360. He has previously covered the North American financial markets as a Headline News Correspondent for a major news agency. After taking a sabbatical to prepare for the Civil Services examination, he returned to journalism to cover tech policy, with a special focus on AI laws and online gaming regulation. Now, he is back in Gadgets360 to write features and edit stories. To unwind, he likes to spend time with his PS5, listening ...More