Trai's new rules will mandate telcos to identify callers

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) Friday released its final set of recommendations to introduce caller identification (caller ID) as a default feature across domestic telecommunications networks, nearly two years after the Department of Telecommunications (DoT)'s initial proposal for the same.

- Shouvik Das

The final set of recommendations proposed that all telcos "should provide Calling Name Presentation (CNAP)" as a "supplementary service" to customers "upon their request." A technical model to roll out caller identification has been outlined by Trai to the Centre, and the regulatory body has recommended the government issue orders for all telcos to start the service in a certain time. The recommended CNAP model will see phone calls in India show the name on which a number was registered with a telecom operator when a phone call is received.