New Delhi: From January 15, landline callers will be required to add '0' as a prefix for making calls to mobile phones as the telecom department is asking companies to make required arrangements to implement this new system. ALSO READ | Ahmed Patel To Tarun Gogoi, A Look At Prominent Indian Politicians Who Succumbed To Covid Related Complications

"All fixed to mobile calls will be dialled with prefix ‘0’ from 15th January 2021. There will be no change in dialling plan from fixed to fixed, mobile to fixed and mobile to mobile calls,": Ministry of Communications informed on Wednesday.

The telecom department has accepted TRAI's recommendation for having the '0' a prefix for such calls. This small change will be introduced to create sufficient numbering space for telecom services.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) in a circular on 'modification of dialling pattern from fixed line numbers to cellular mobile numbers' stated that in order to ensure adequate numbering resources for fixed-line and mobile services, the recommendations have been accepted by the Department.

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"The suitable announcement may be fed in the fixed-line switches to appraise the fixed-line subscribers about the requirement of dialling the prefix '0' for all fixed-to-mobile calls," DoT posted on DoT’s website stated.

"This announcement should be played whenever a subscriber dials a fixed-to-mobile call without prefixing '0'. All the fixed-line subscribers should be provided with '0' dialling facility, that is, STD dialling facility," the circular adds.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had back in May this year recommended dialling prefix '0' for a call from fixed line number to the mobile number.

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