Business phone numbers in India: what to plan for

Many teams ask why GT Connect can connect their staff today but cannot yet call a customer's mobile number. The answer is that outside calling in India goes through licensed telecom providers, and that brings paperwork.

Business numbers

To give your company a phone number that can call and receive calls from the public network, a licensed provider needs to verify your business. Expect to provide company registration documents, an authorized signatory's identity proof and an address. Providers also set rules on how numbers may be used.

Business SMS

Commercial SMS in India uses a registration system for senders and message templates. You register your business as a sender, register your sender IDs (the short name customers see), and get your message templates approved before you send. Transactional messages such as delivery updates follow different rules from promotional ones.

WhatsApp Business messaging

Sending WhatsApp messages from software requires a verified business account through an approved provider, plus approved templates for messages you start.

Why internal calling can start now

Calls between your own staff over the internet do not touch the public phone network, so they need none of the above. That is why GT Connect's internal calling is available today, while numbers, SMS and WhatsApp are on the roadmap until a licensed provider is connected.

How to prepare

• Keep your company registration and GST documents handy.
• Decide which numbers you need: one main line, a toll-free number, or numbers per branch.
• List the messages you would send customers, such as pickup, out for delivery and delivered.

Want to be notified when numbers launch? Join the waitlist on the SMS and WhatsApp page.