DoT Orders Nationwide CNAP Rollout for 4G and 5G from November 1
Indian phone users will start seeing the names of callers from next month. The Department of Telecommunications has announced the rollout of the Caller Name Presentation service. Telecom service providers have tested the functionality across different circles since last year. CNAP will first cover 5G and 4G LTE connections. The DoT will consider its introduction for 2G and 3G networks separately. The service shows the registered name of the caller and removes the need for third-party apps.
In its order dated October 13, the Ministry of Communications instructed all authorised telecom service providers to roll out CNAP on their 4G and newer networks, including 5G, across all service areas from November 1. The service will also apply to 6G networks when operators launch them. Introduction of CNAP for 2G, 3G, and landline connections will be examined separately.
Every new authorised telecom service provider must implement the caller identification service by default on their 4G, 5G, and newer networks. The DoT requires the rollout to be secured against tampering. Operators cannot ask users for any additional requests. The system will display two separate fields. The first field will show the phone number. The second field will show the name from the database.
Telecom operators must follow a security-by-design approach. The caller’s name will not be retained after the call ends. The name will appear only when the user has not already saved it in the phone’s contact list. Caller identification will apply only to domestic calls. For international calls, the second field will display “International Call.”
The mandate follows months of trial runs by different operators in select circles. The service uses the Caller ID Name database and matches names with the telecom KYC records linked to the incoming number. From November 1, users on 4G and 5G networks will see registered caller names without installing extra applications.