No More Hidden Identities: DoT Makes Caller Name Display Compulsory from November 1
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In a major push to eliminate anonymous calls and combat the rising threat of cyber fraud, the Government of India has officially mandated a verified caller identification system.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed all telecom service providers (TSPs) to implement the Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) service by November 1, 2026.
Unlike third-party applications that rely on unverified, crowdsourced data, CNAP integrates directly into the telecom network infrastructure. It automatically pulls and displays the verified identity of a domestic caller directly from the service provider's strict Know Your Customer (KYC) database.
According to the official directive, the service will be enabled by default for every user on 4G and higher-generation networks, including 5G.
Unsaved domestic numbers will show the exact registered subscriber name on phone screens, whereas international incoming traffic will strictly display as an “International Call”.
Officials stated that this transition is explicitly designed to “help subscribers make an informed decision while receiving an incoming call and identify spam or fraudulent sources.” Meanwhile, the rollout across older 2G and 3G networks will be evaluated by the government at a later date.