January 1, 2021: Making Calls From Landlines To Mobile Phones Will Change, Know How

New Delhi: From January 1, 2021, callers will have to add ‘0’ to make a call from a landline to a mobile phone in the country. The telecom department has asked telcos to implement the new system from January.

The department has accepted TRAI’s recommendation in this regard. Adding ‘0’ will create sufficient numbering space for telecom services.

“Following may be implemented…Fixed-to-mobile calls shall be dialled with prefix ‘0’. Suitable announcement may be fed in the fixed line switches to apprise the fixed line subscribers about the requirement of dialling the prefix ‘0’ for all fixed-to-mobile calls,” Department Of Telecom (DoT) said in a circular dated November 20, ZeeNews reported.

This announcement should be played whenever a subscriber dials a fixed-to-mobile call without prefixing ‘0’, it said.

“All the fixed-line subscribers should be provided with `0′ dialling facility, that is, STD dialling facility,” said the circular posted on DoT’s website.