The Government of India will make caller name identification mandatory for mobile users from November 1, 2026, to help people identify incoming calls from unknown numbers.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has urged telecom service providers to enable Calling Name Presentation (CNAP), which will show the caller’s name along with the phone number by default on 4G and new technologies such as 5G networks.
The new system is designed to enhance caller identification and assist users in identifying legitimate calls from potentially fraudulent calls. The DoT order has made it necessary for telecom operators to display names using subscriber information stored in their databases. However, the rollout for 2G and 3G networks, as well as landline connections, will be considered separately.
When a call arrives, the recipient’s phone will show the caller’s phone number and name. If the number is saved in the recipient’s contacts, the saved name will be displayed, the order said. If the number is not saved, the name the caller entered in the telecom operator’s system will appear.
For international calls, the screen will show “International Call”. For the system to operate, each telecommunications service provider needs to create and maintain a database that connects subscribers’ names to their telephone numbers. The receiving operator will retrieve the necessary data and display it during the incoming call.
The DoT order has called for the telecom operators to implement a security-by-design methodology. Caller names retrieved through the query-response mechanism cannot be retained after the incoming call ends.
Subscribers who have enabled Calling Line Identification Restriction (CLIR) will also be exempt from the system. Their names will not be listed in .
Businesses and bulk connections could be allowed to use a different name from the one found in the operator’s subscriber database for display purposes. However, the name must be supported by a registered trademark or a trade name registered on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) portal.
It is the operator’s responsibility to check the preferred name and supporting documents. Subscribers who want to update their business name displayed in the results will need to make a request.
The mandate comes after the trials of 4G and 5G networks in recent months. It also incorporates recommendations by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India () in February 2024.
TRAI agreed to DoT’s proposal for making CNAP available by default in October 2025. This was in contrast to its initial proposal, which suggested that the service be turned on only when the user has requested it.
The government plans to make caller identification more widely available by leveraging verified subscriber data stored by telecom operators, rather than relying on names saved in phone contacts, with the rollout on November 1, 2026.
