No unknown numbers calling as govt mandates caller name display from Nov 1; heres what new rules say
CNAP is a caller identification system that displays the caller’s name and phone number, allowing users to know who is calling before answering.
PTC News Desk: The Government of India is planning to make caller ID available by default to mobile users, helping them identify unknown callers. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed telecom companies to introduce Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) from November 1, 2026.
CNAP is a caller identification system that displays the caller’s name and phone number, allowing users to know who is calling before answering.
According to the DoT order, the service will be activated by default for users on 4G and newer networks, including 5G. The rollout for 2G and 3G networks, as well as landline services, will be considered separately.
How will the caller ID system work?
When someone calls, the recipient’s screen will display the caller’s phone number along with a name. If the number is saved in the recipient’s contacts, the saved name will appear. If it is not saved, the system will show the name registered in the caller’s telecom operator database for domestic calls. Calls from abroad will be marked as “International Call.”
Under the new rules, every telecom company must create and maintain a database linking subscribers’ names with their phone numbers. When a call comes in, the receiving operator will use this database to display the caller’s name.
Telecom companies must also follow strict security rules. The caller’s name cannot be stored through the system’s query-and-response process after the call ends. In addition, the names of users who have activated the Calling Line Identification Restriction facility to hide their caller ID will not be displayed.
For businesses and bulk connections, telecom operators may allow a preferred name to be displayed instead of the name in their subscriber records. This name must either be a registered trademark or a trade name registered on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) portal. Operators will verify the name and supporting documents. Existing subscribers who want to use a preferred name will have to apply for the change.
The decision follows trials of CNAP on 4G and 5G networks in recent months. It also takes into account recommendations made by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in February 2024.
In October 2025, TRAI supported the DoT’s proposal to make the service available by default. This was a change from its earlier recommendation, which suggested that users should activate the service only if they wanted it.