GUWAHATI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recently recommended that telecom users should have access to the legal name of any caller contacting them.
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This suggestion involves the implementation of Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) on Indian telecom networks. CNAP would display the caller's identity based on their Know Your Customer (KYC) registration data. The Department of Telecommunications, which sought TRAI's input on the matter, will now consider this recommendation, reports stated.
TRAI reportedly has outlined a technical model for the rollout of caller identification and urged the government to issue orders for all telecom operators to initiate the service within a specified timeframe. Under the proposed CNAP model, phone calls in India would reveal the registered name associated with a telephone number when a call is received. This service is expected to function as an on-request feature for users.
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As per reports, the initiative to introduce default caller ID services gained momentum after the Department of Telecommunications proposed the service in March 2022. TRAI initiated a consultation paper on CNAP in November 2022, followed by a consultation in March of the subsequent year.
As of now, telecom operators have not provided immediate statements regarding TRAI's recommendations. The concept was first introduced in a TRAI consultation paper last year, allowing subscribers to view the registered name for every incoming call if they choose to opt in for such a service. It's worth noting that TRAI's recommendations do not include a provision for users to opt out of being identified when making calls; instead, it suggests that the Department of Telecommunications consider excluding "witnesses/sensitive persons" based on a court order.