All landline users must dial mobile calls with prefix '0' from Jan 15

Landline users will be required to add zero before making calls to mobile numbers starting January 15. The Ministry of Communications on Wednesday in an official release noted that starting January 15, all fixed to mobile calls need to be dialed with prefix '0' from 15th January, 2021 "to free up sufficient numbering resources for future use." Earlier, the department of telecommunications (DoT) on its website posted a circular accepting the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)’s proposal for all landline numbers to dial mobile numbers with a zero prefix.

There will be no change in dialing plan from fixed to fixed, mobile to fixed and mobile to mobile calls. Further, a suitable announcement will also be played whenever a subscriber dials a fixed to mobile call without using the prefix '0'. DoT had earlier noted that a suitable announcement will be played to apprise the fixed-line subscribers about the requirement of dialling with the prefix zero. The announcement will be played whenever landline users dial a mobile number without the prefix 0.

The ministry said that all fixed line subscribers will be provided with ‘0’ dialing facility and that it expects to generate a total of approximately 2539 million numbering series. This will free up sufficient numbering resources for future use. The regulator had, however, stated that the introduction of a dialling prefix for a particular type of call is not akin to increasing the number of digits in the telephone number.

The communications ministry noted, "The freeing up of sufficient numbering resources will add more number of connections in the future and be beneficial to the mobile customers at large”. The ministry further said that the changes have been done in order to have minimum inconvenience to the subscribers and freeing up essential numbering resources.

TRAI, in May, had also made recommendations like shifting from 10-digit to 11-digit numbering scheme in case of mobile numbers that will give a total capacity of 10 billion numbers. It had also suggested that mobile numbers allotted for dongles should be shifted to 13 digits.