# Trai expands 1601 series to utilities, logistics to curb fraud 2026-08-13T07:39:53+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has expanded its 1600-number series, introducing the new 1601 series for utilities, courier and logistics companies. Eligible entities include electricity, water, gas and LPG distributors, as well as parcel delivery and freight firms. The move aims to help consumers identify legitimate service and transaction-related calls and prevent impersonation fraud. Telecom operators will issue the numbers within 90 days after verifying eligibility. The numbers must be used only for service and transaction calls, not promotions. The series will not be given to intermediaries or aggregators. Trai earlier mandated the 1600 series for BFSI and government calls. The expansion follows concerns that legitimate 1600-series calls were being flagged as spam by call management apps. ## Coverage - rediff.com Tags: 1601-series, fraud prevention, spam calls, telecom regulation, TRAI, utility calls Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/trai-expands-1601-series-to-utilities-logistics-to-curb-fraud/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/trai-expands-1601-series-to-utilities-logistics-to-curb-fraud/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.