Unknown caller IDs will be a thing of the past now, as the Government of India is making a move to make identification of unknown phone numbers much easier, and caller IDs for users will become mandatory soon. Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have received a notice from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to introduce caller ID or Calling Name Representation (CNAP) which is going to start from November 1, 2026.
This service will be enabled for any and every user who is on a 4G network or a higher bandwidth like 5G network. When a user receives a call, their caller ID will be displayed using the CNAP system; this is a caller identification system capable of showcasing numbers and names. Further, the rollout of this service to 2G and 3G will make its way eventually after due consideration and this goes for public switched telephone networks as well, as the order suggests.
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Caller ID Through CNAP: How Does It Work?
How this works is simple. Firstly, when a user gets a call, they will see the number of the caller first, and if they have that number saved, they will be able to see their name as well. Now here comes the interesting part, if the number is not saved by the recipient, the service will go through the telecom operator's subscriber base to look for the caller's name that is recorded in that registry, and that will be displayed for domestic calls. International calls, on the other hand, will display the text "International Calls".
The TSPs will have to maintain a database of subscribers mapped to their numbers. The operator who is on the receiving end will utilise this database to get the name attached to that specific phone number and show it to the recipient.
However, in this process, the name of the caller cannot be retained through a query-response mechanism after the incoming call has ended, and operators must ensure they are following a security-by-design approach in this case. Users who have enabled the Calling Line Identification Restriction facility will have their numbers hidden from this display by CNAP service.
What About Businesses And Bulk Calls
For this purpose, operators can have the option to display a single preferred number instead of the name listed in the subscriber records. The name must also be registered with the Trade Marks Registry with the user's name attached to it, or a trade name which is also registered with the Goods and Services Tax portal. The name and supporting documents must be verified by the operators first, and to update to a preferred name, the existing subscribers will have to apply to avail this service.
Trials for this have been going on for the past few months now on 4G and 5G networks. This was also recommended by TRAI in February 2024, and in October 2025, CNAP enabled DoT's proposal to TRAI; however, the recommendation proposed that activation of this service shall take place only on request.