Landline Users To Prefix ‘0’ To Call Mobile Phones Starting 1 Jan

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Telecom subscribers will have to prefix '0' as they call from a landline to any mobile number starting 1 January, 2021.

The decision has been taken up in order to ensure adequate numbering resources for fixed line and mobile services. Telecom regulator TRAI had recommended the move in May this year.

A Department of Telecom’s (DoT) 20 November circular said that all the fixed line subscribers should be provided with ‘0’ dialing facility, STD dialing facility.

All telecom service operators have been allowed time till 1 January to implement the directive.

DoT said that suitable announcements may be fed in the fixed line switches to apprise the fixed line subscribers about the requirement of dialing the prefix '0' for all fixed to mobile calls. This announcement should be played whenever a subscriber dials a fixed to mobile call without prefixing '0'.

The regulator had, however, said that the introduction of dialing a prefix for a particular type of call is not akin to increasing the number of digits in the telephone number.