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Phone numbers used for commercial calling in India are regulated by TRAI and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The type of number you use determines what kinds of calls you can legally make, how callers perceive your identity, and what registration steps are required.

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How Indian Numbers Are Provisioned in DialNexa

Indian numbers in DialNexa are provisioned through Plivo’s India number catalogue. DialNexa connects to Plivo’s India infrastructure for routing India calls. When you purchase or configure an Indian number in DialNexa, it is provisioned via Plivo. Complete KYC verification first - see KYC Verification. Indian number provisioning requires verified business identity.

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Number Types Available

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10-Digit Mobile Numbers

Standard 10-digit Indian mobile numbers (e.g., +91 98XXXXXXXX):
  • Assigned by mobile carriers via Plivo’s India inventory
  • Display as a regular mobile number on the recipient’s phone
  • Suitable for service and transactional calls (appointment reminders, order updates, customer service)
  • Not approved for promotional or marketing calls under TRAI regulations
  • Require TRAI registration as a service number header (operator’s responsibility)

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1800 Toll-Free Numbers

1800 toll-free numbers are inbound-only numbers used for customer service:
  • Calls to the number are free for the caller; your account is charged the per-minute rate
  • Suitable for inbound customer service, helplines, and IVR scenarios
  • Can be connected to DialNexa inbound agents
  • Not used for outbound calling
1800 numbers are provisioned through Plivo’s India toll-free catalogue. Availability is subject to Plivo’s India inventory.

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140-Series Numbers (Promotional Voice Calls)

Promotional calls - marketing, lead generation, sales - must be made from the 1409-series as mandated by TRAI. These numbers are available in Plivo’s India inventory where stock permits.
Using a regular mobile number for promotional calls is a TRAI violation and can result in number blacklisting and penalties. Always use the TRAI-approved number series for your call type.

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Purchasing Numbers

1

Complete KYC verification

All regulated Indian number provisioning requires a completed KYC verification. Complete this first in Settings → Account → KYC Verification.
2

Go to Phone Numbers

Navigate to Phone Numbers in the dashboard and click + Buy Number.
3

Select country and number type

Select India as the country and choose the number type. Numbers are sourced from Plivo’s India number catalogue.
4

Search available numbers

DialNexa shows available numbers from Plivo’s India inventory. Availability varies by number type and region.
5

Purchase the number

Click Purchase on your chosen number. The number is added to your account and charged to your wallet at the applicable monthly rental rate.
6

Register the number for TRAI compliance

After purchasing, register the number as a sender ID (header) on the TRAI DLT platform under your principal entity registration. This is done on the telecom operator’s DLT portal, not within DialNexa. See Compliance Requirements.
7

Assign to an agent

In the agent configuration, go to Phone Numbers and assign the purchased number to the agent.

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Bringing Your Own Indian Number

If you already have Indian phone numbers with a carrier, connect them to DialNexa via Plivo:
  1. Set up your Plivo account and purchase or port your numbers there
  2. In DialNexa, go to Settings → Phone Numbers → Connect Provider → Plivo
  3. Enter your Plivo API credentials
  4. Select which Plivo numbers to connect to DialNexa
  5. Assign numbers to agents
Plivo’s India infrastructure provides native PSTN routing for Indian numbers, which gives lower latency than routing through international intermediaries.

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Number Costs

Indian phone numbers have two cost components:
  1. Monthly rental: A recurring monthly fee to maintain the number, charged from your DialNexa wallet
  2. Per-minute call charges: Standard per-minute rates apply for calls made or received on the number
Pricing is shown in the purchase flow. For bulk number provisioning (10+ numbers), contact [email protected] for volume pricing.

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Releasing Numbers

To release a number you no longer need:
  1. First, remove it from all agents it is assigned to
  2. Go to Phone Numbers in the dashboard
  3. Click Release on the number
  4. Confirm the release
Released numbers return to Plivo’s inventory. Monthly rental charges stop at the end of the current billing period. Releases cannot be undone.
Phone numbers used for commercial calling in India are regulated by TRAI and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The type of number you use determines what kinds of calls you can legally make, how callers perceive your identity, and what registration steps are required.

​
Number Types in India

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10-Digit Mobile Numbers

Standard 10-digit Indian mobile numbers (e.g., +91 98XXXXXXXX) are used for service and transactional calls. These numbers:
  • Are assigned by mobile carriers (Jio, Airtel, Vodafone-Idea, BSNL)
  • Display as a regular mobile number on the recipient’s phone
  • Are suitable for transactional calls (appointment reminders, order updates, OTPs, customer service)
  • Are not approved for promotional or marketing calls under TRAI regulations
  • Require DLT registration as a service number header

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140-Series Numbers (Promotional Voice Calls)

Promotional calls - marketing, lead generation, sales - must be made from the 1409 series number range as mandated by TRAI’s Voice Call regulations. These:
  • Begin with 1409 (e.g., 1409XXXXXXX)
  • Are identifiable to recipients as commercial/promotional calls
  • Are subject to DND scrubbing - cannot be used to call DND-registered numbers without consent
  • Required DLT registration as promotional voice headers
  • Restricted to 9am - 9pm IST calling hours
Using a regular mobile number (10-digit) for promotional calls is a TRAI violation. TRAI has enforcement mechanisms that can result in number blacklisting, PE ID suspension, and financial penalties. Always use the appropriate number series for your call type.

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1800 Toll-Free Numbers

1800 toll-free numbers are inbound-only numbers commonly used for customer service:
  • Calls to the number are free for the caller; the business pays the per-minute rate
  • Suitable for inbound customer service, IVR, and helpline scenarios
  • Require business verification and KYC before provisioning
  • Can be combined with DialNexa inbound agents
  • Not used for outbound calling

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Landline / Fixed-Line Numbers

10-digit landline numbers with city-specific STD codes (e.g., +91 44XXXXXXXX for Chennai) are available for business use:
  • Used for both inbound and outbound calling
  • Appropriate for service and transactional outbound calls
  • Require local presence documentation for some cities
  • DLT registration required for commercial use

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Purchasing Numbers Through DialNexa

1

Complete KYC verification

All regulated Indian number provisioning requires a completed KYC verification. Complete this first in Settings → Account → KYC Verification. See KYC Verification.
2

Go to Phone Numbers

Navigate to Phone Numbers in the dashboard and click + Buy Number.
3

Select country and number type

Select India as the country. Choose the number type:
  • Mobile (Service/Transactional): For customer service and transactional outbound calls
  • 1409 Promotional: For marketing and promotional outbound calls
  • 1800 Toll-Free: For inbound customer service
  • Landline: For local business presence numbers
4

Search available numbers

DialNexa shows available numbers from its inventory. You can filter by city (for landlines), or search for specific number patterns.
5

Purchase the number

Click Purchase on your chosen number. The number is added to your account immediately and charged to your wallet. Monthly rental fees apply.
6

Register the number on DLT

After purchasing, register the number as a sender ID (header) on the DLT platform under your principal entity. This is done on the telecom operator’s DLT portal (not within DialNexa). See Compliance Requirements.
7

Assign to an agent

In the agent configuration, go to Phone Numbers and assign the purchased number to the agent. For outbound-only agents, configure the number as the caller ID.

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Bringing Your Own Indian Number

If you already have Indian phone numbers with a carrier, you can connect them to DialNexa using BYO SIP: BYO SIP (bring your own SIP trunk):
  1. Obtain a SIP trunk from your Indian carrier (e.g., Plivo, or any SIP-capable Indian carrier)
  2. In DialNexa, go to Settings → Telephony → BYO SIP
  3. Enter your SIP termination URI and authentication credentials
  4. Add your Indian phone number and assign it to an agent
For Indian numbers purchased directly through DialNexa, numbers are provisioned on Plivo automatically - no additional configuration is needed. See Bring Your Own SIP for full setup instructions.

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Number Costs

Indian phone numbers have two cost components:
  1. One-time provisioning fee (if applicable): Some number types have a setup fee
  2. Monthly rental: A recurring monthly fee to maintain the number, charged from your DialNexa wallet
In addition to the number rental, calls made from or received on the number are billed at the standard per-minute rate. Pricing varies by number type and is shown in the purchase flow. For bulk number provisioning (10+ numbers), contact [email protected] for volume pricing.

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Number Porting

Porting an existing Indian business number to DialNexa’s direct infrastructure (rather than using BYOT) is subject to TRAI Mobile Number Portability (MNP) regulations. Direct porting is not currently supported in-platform - use the bring-your-own-number approach with your current carrier as the intermediary.

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Releasing Numbers

To release a number you no longer need:
  1. First, remove it from all agents it is assigned to
  2. Go to Phone Numbers in the dashboard
  3. Click Release on the number
  4. Confirm the release
Released numbers are returned to DialNexa’s inventory and may be re-provisioned to another customer. Monthly rental charges stop at the end of the current billing period. Releases cannot be undone.