TRAI says don't tag 1600 banking calls as spam, seeks powers to regulate apps like Truecaller

Published 10 July 2026 · finance

India's telecom regulator has stepped in to clear the air over its rules for special phone number series after reports and public debate created confusion

India's telecom regulator has stepped in to clear the air over its rules for special phone number series after reports and public debate created confusion around how apps such as Truecaller can identify calls. The clarification comes days after reports emerged that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is seeking authorisation from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to regulate call management apps as part of its broader fight against spam and fraudulent calls. Read Full Story In an official statement, TRAI said some media reports had led to "misinformation or misinterpretation" about how the designated 1600 and 140 number series are meant to operate. What are 1600 and 140 numbers? According to TRAI, the 1600 number series is reserved for important service and transaction-related calls. These numbers can be used only by regulated entities in the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector—such as organisations regulated by RBI, SEBI, IRDAI and PFRDA—to contact their existing customers.

Government departments can also use the series for citizen communication. The regulator said the purpose of introducing this dedicated number series is to help people identify genuine service calls and build trust. Under the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulation (TCCCPR), telecom operators or apps are not allowed to tag, block or filter calls originating from 1600 numbers. The 140 number series, meanwhile, is meant for promotional calls across all industries. Businesses using these numbers must register with telecom service providers and follow TRAI's commercial communication rules. Users can choose whether they want to receive such promotional calls by registering their preferences under the Do Not Disturb (DND) system. If a customer has blocked promotional calls from a particular sector, those calls can be stopped through the DND framework. However, TRAI said apps should not independently tag or filter these calls, as doing so could mislead users who have opted to receive them.

The disagreement with Truecaller The clarification follows reports that TRAI wants legal authority from MeitY to regulate call management apps more strictly. The regulator has also proposed new rules under the Draft Telecom Commercial Communication Preference (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2026, which would prevent such apps from tagging, blocking or otherwise treating calls from designated commercial communication number series differently. Truecaller CEO Rishit Jhunjhunwala has strongly opposed the proposal, arguing that it could reduce transparency for users, according to PTI. "What happened was that the number of spam calls made through the 140/1600 number series skyrocketed! Over 51 million calls from both series go unanswered every single day," he said. Jhunjhunwala claimed that in the past eight months, Truecaller users ignored 81 per cent of calls from the 140 series and 79 per cent of calls from the 1600 series because they no longer trusted those numbers.