Three digits on the display and that’s it: you will already know, before answering, if the caller is operating in compliance with the rules. This is the logic of the resolution approved by the AGCOM Infrastructure and Networks Commission on 14 April, communicated publicly on 27 April. Resolution no. 21/26/CIR updates the national telecommunications numbering plan and introduces a short identifying prefixon the model of the numbers already used for customer assistance, which informs the user of the nature of the call before the conversation even begins.
How the short number system works
The idea is simpler than it seems. Authorized companies — sector operators, companies, call centers in good standing — they will be able to use a three-digit sequence as the calling numbersimilar to those already associated with customer care services. Anyone calling with a masked, geographic or ordinary mobile number will therefore be more easily recognizable as a non-standard subject. The objective declared by the Authority is counter spoofingthe technique by which irregular call centers manipulate their identification to make local area codes or ordinary mobile numbers appear, tricking the user into answering.
According to AGCOM, the provision will contribute to increasing “the reliability of companies and transparency in communications for the benefit of end users”, in particular counteracting “the aggressive methods of commercial contact” which in recent years have eroded trust in electronic communications services.
What the resolution provides in detail
Resolution 21/26/CIR – which incorporates the results of a public consultation with sector operators – introduces a first package of immediately operational measures. The set of numbers that can be used as caller identification is expanded: not only traditional commercial numbers, but also those linked to services without charges for the user – emergencies, public utilities, harmonized European services with social value, customer care, services with charging when called, numbers for SMS/MMS and data transmission.
Given the complexity of the impacts on the market, the Authority has established a technical table responsible for defining the implementation methods and examining the points still open. Among these, the most delicate issue is the regulation of numbers to be allocated exclusively to teleselling and telemarketing, sectors, writes AGCOM, “most exposed to abusive phenomena”.
The Bill Decree closes the circle
The AGCOM resolution is part of a regulatory framework that has been strengthened in previous weeks. Law no. 49 of 10 April 2026, converting the Bill Decree, published in the Official Journal no. 90 of 18 April, establishes that from 19 June 2026, electricity and gas companies will no longer be able to contact users by telephone or send promotional messages without explicit and prior consent. Any contracts concluded in violation of this rule will be considered void and proof of consent will be the responsibility of the company, not the consumer.
However, some tensions remain in the market. According to Asstel, the Confindustria association that represents the telecommunications sector, the decree penalizes telecommunications operators that also offer energy services, a case that could create possible asymmetries in a market where converging offers – connectivity plus electricity and gas – are now widely widespread practice. We will see the effects of these measures and the evolution of the situation in the coming months.
