Telecom regulator says calls from these number series cannot be blocked or filtered

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has clarified that phone calls originating from the 1600 and 140 number series cannot be tagged, filtered or blocked by third-party apps, except where blocking is carried out through the regulator's Do Not Disturb (DND) registry for eligible promotional calls.According to a PTI report, the regulator has issued a statement announcing that calls from the 1600 number series are reserved for service and transaction-related communications from regulated entities and government departments, while the 140 series is designated for promotional calls made by registered telemarketers.What TRAI said about the 1600 and 140 number series"Under the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulation (TCCCPR), any tagging, blocking or filtering of the calls originating from 1600 series numbers is not permitted," Trai said.The regulator said it has mandated the use of the 1600 series for service and transaction calls made by banking, financial services and insurance entities…