New Delhi, Oct 15: Mobile users will be able to see the names associated with incoming calls from unsaved domestic numbers under a government-directed caller identification system, with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) requiring telecom operators to roll out Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) across their service areas from November 1.
The service will display the caller’s name alongside the telephone number and will activate automatically for eligible subscribers, without requiring them to apply separately. Operators have already conducted trials on wireless terrestrial networks using 4G and higher-generation technologies.
CNAP will expand the information shown through Calling Line Identification (CLI), which currently displays the incoming number. Under the new arrangement, the recipient’s handset will show separate fields for the telephone identifier and the caller’s name.
The name displayed will depend on whether the recipient has saved the number. If it appears in the phone’s contact list, the handset will continue to show the saved contact name. For an unsaved domestic number, the system will display the name recorded in the originating operator’s subscriber database. Calls from international numbers will instead carry the label “International Call”.
The DoT has deferred implementation on 2G and 3G networks and public switched telephone networks for separate examination.
The framework follows Rule 48(1) of the Telecommunications (Authorisation for Provision of Principal Telecommunication Services) Rules, 2026, which requires authorised entities to ensure secure presentation of caller identification and prevent its tampering.
The guidelines also impose privacy and network-security requirements. Operators must adopt a “security-by-design” approach and ensure that the query-response mechanism used to retrieve caller names does not retain the calling name identity after a call ends. They must also maintain sufficient network, database and connectivity capacity to handle requests without affecting service quality.
Businesses and bulk customers will have an option to display a preferred name instead of the name recorded in subscriber records. The alternative name must be supported by either a registered trademark recorded with the Trade Marks Registry or a registered trade name on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) portal.
The rollout introduces a standardised way to display caller names, while the deferred treatment of older network technologies leaves their implementation subject to further examination.
