Archive · 29 Oct 2025
India Mandates Caller Name Display by Default for 4G/5G Users
Imagine your phone rings, and instead of just seeing a number, you see the name of the person calling!
India is getting ready to do this with a new service called CNAP.
The people in charge of phones and the internet, TRAI and DoT, have agreed to make this happen.
It will turn on automatically for phones that use 4G and 5G, helping you know who is calling.
This is to stop people from making scam calls and tricking others.
If you don't want your name to show, you can ask for it to be turned off.
However, for people with older phones (2G and 3G), it will be tricky to make this work because their phones are a bit different.
Soon, even new phones sold in India will have this name display feature built-in.
It's like a safety feature for your phone calls.
India is set to launch the Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) service by default for 4G and 5G users.
The service aims to display the caller's verified name to combat scam and cyber fraud calls.
TRAI and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) have agreed on the default activation, with an opt-out option for users.
Implementing CNAP for 2G and 3G users is technically challenging and will be considered later.
New devices sold in India will be required to support the CNAP feature within six months of notification.
- Who
- The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
- What
- Agreement to enable the Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) service by default, which displays the caller's verified name on incoming calls for 4G and 5G users.
- When
- The decision was announced on Tuesday (October 28, 2025). The service is planned for rollout soon for 4G/5G users, with device norms to be issued six months after notification.
- Where
- India
- Why
- To prevent fraud calls and cybercrimes such as digital arrest and financial frauds, and to curb scam calls nationwide.
Department of Telecommunications (DoT)
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
Default Activation of CNAP
Department of Telecommunications (DoT)
The DoT prefers the CNAP service to be enabled by default for all users, allowing them to opt-out if they do not wish to use it, to ensure wider adoption and effectiveness against spam.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
TRAI initially recommended that the CNAP service should only be activated upon the request of the subscriber receiving the call, suggesting a user-initiated activation approach.
2G and 3G User Inclusion
Department of Telecommunications (DoT)
The DoT acknowledged that implementing CNAP for 2G and 3G users will be technically challenging due to bandwidth limitations and stated that its inclusion would be considered after assessing technical feasibility.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
TRAI's recommendations did not explicitly detail the exclusion of 2G and 3G users, suggesting a broader implementation in their initial proposal, though the DoT later clarified the technical difficulties.
- Service Name
- Calling Name Presentation (CNAP)
- Objective
- Display verified caller names by default to combat scam and cyber fraud calls.
- Implementation Status
- Agreed upon by TRAI and DoT; ready for rollout for 4G and 5G users.
- Excluded Users
- Initially, 2G and 3G users will not receive the service due to technical limitations.
- Caller Information Source
- Name as per the identity used for the phone connection.
- Default Setting
- Enabled by default for 4G/5G users, with an option to disable.
- Device Norms
- Government to issue norms for CNAP feature availability in all devices sold in India after six months from notification.
- CLIR Facility
- CNAP will not be presented to users utilizing the Calling Line Identification Restriction (CLIR) facility.
