The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed all licensed telecom operators to implement the Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) service across India starting Nov 1.
Under the new mandate, incoming domestic calls on 4G and higher-generation networks will display both the caller’s mobile number and official name as recorded in subscriber databases.
When receiving a call from an unsaved contact, the recipient’s handset will automatically query the origin operator’s database in real time to retrieve and display the registered name. For saved contacts, user-stored names will remain prioritised. International calls will feature an “International Call” warning label.
Major service providers, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, have already conducted successful network trials for the feature. Corporate and bulk account holders may opt to display registered trademarks or GST-verified business names.
To protect user privacy, DoT has mandated a “security-by-design” framework requiring operators to purge fetched names immediately after call termination, while keeping users with Calling Line Identification Restriction (CLIR) exempted.
