Caller names to appear on phone screens from November 1 under new DoT directive

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed all telecom operators to display the caller’s name, not just the number, on the receiver’s phone screen starting November 1.

The October 13 directive on the calling name presentation service (CNAP) applies to all operators holding a licence or authorisation to provide access services across all service areas.

Under the new protocol, all incoming domestic calls will display both the caller’s number and name.

If the recipient has saved the caller’s number in their contact list, the stored name will appear on the screen. If the number is not saved, the recipient’s screen will display the name recorded in the caller’s operator records.

An international call will show the words “International Call”.

According to the order, telecom service providers such as Airtel, Jio, and Vodafone Idea carried out trials for the introduction of the name presentation service in wireless terrestrial networks.

The implementation covers 4G and higher-generation wireless networks.

The government will consider extending the facility to 2G, 3G and landline networks at a later stage.

To power the service, each telecom operator must maintain an updated database linking subscriber names to phone numbers. When a call is placed, the recipient’s network will query the caller’s operator database in real time to retrieve the registered name.

The DoT directive requires operators to follow a “security-by-design” framework, ensuring that operators delete fetched names immediately after the call terminates and do not retain them. Operators must also make sure their databases and networks can handle the lookups quickly without impacting call quality

Entities with corporate or bulk mobile connections may be offered the option to display a “preferred name” rather than the name in the operator’s records. The chosen name must correspond strictly to a trademark registered in the subscriber’s name or a trade name verified on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) portal.

Users who have opted for calling line identification restriction (CLIR) will not have their names shown.

Operators must also set up a system to receive and resolve CNAP-related complaints within a fixed time.

The circular follows recommendations made by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on February 23, 2024.