Callers in India will soon be sticking to a new rule from the Central government that they will be required to add '0' in prefix for making calls to mobile phones from landlines. The Telecom department has implemented this new system based on the recommendation from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

According to reports, the new system will be implemented from January 15th next year, and the current space till the implementation date has been given for the telecom service providers and concerned stakeholders in processing towards implementing the new system. The telecom department has accepted the recommendation of TRAI and the move will create sufficient numbering space for telecom services. 

In its circular, the Telecom department said that with the view of ensuring adequate numbering resources for the fixed line (landline) and mobile services, the department has accepted TRAI's recommendations dated May 29, 2020, and will be implemented from January 15th. 

The circular further stated that following the implementation, calls from the landline to mobile devices would be dialed with '0' as a prefix. The suitable announcement would be fed in the fixed-line to keep informing the callers and fixed-line subscribers about the requirement of dialing the prefix '0' for all the calls made from the landlines to mobile phones. 

The circular added that whenever the callers make a call from the landlines to the mobile phones without dialing '0', they would hear a voice message asking them to add '0'. The telecom department further added that all the fixed-line subscribers should be provided with a '0' dialing facility - STD dialing facility. 

The department said that compliance with the system may be intimated. The TRAI had recommended the telecom department to implement the system of dialing prefix '0' for a phone call from the landline to a mobile number in May 2020 to ensure adequate numbering resources for fixed-line and mobile services. However, it's worth noting that there won't be any change in dialing landline to landline, mobile to the landline, or mobile to mobile calls.