Trai wants caller's name to be displayed

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Friday recommended offering a service that would display caller’s name on the phone. It called for introducing the Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) Supplementary Service in telecom network and offering to all customers on request. The move is seen as an attempt to curb spam calls that afflicting the industry.

The name used for getting the connection should be displayed when a customer receives a call, TRAI said.

Put simply, CNAP is a supplementary service that enables the caller’s name to flash on phone screens when someone calls. TRAI said the government should issue suitable instructions for making CNAP feature available in all devices sold in India after a suitable cut-off date, once recommendations are accepted.

Some smartphones and apps do provide this service but they are not considered entirely reliable.

Trai suggested that all access service providers provide Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) supplementary service to their telephone subscribers upon their request. “The subscriber entities holding bulk connections and business connections should be given the facility of presenting their ‘preferred name’ in place of the name appearing in the Customer Application Form (CAF),” Trai said in a release.

This “preferred name”, Trai explained, could be the “trademark name” registered with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, or the “trade name” registered with the GST Council, or any other unique name duly registered with the government.

However, this is contingent on subscriber entity’s ability to present the necessary documents to prove the ownership of such name.

In the recommendations on ‘Introduction of Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) Service in Indian Telecommunication Network’, Trai also outlined a technical model for implementation of CNAP in the Indian telecommunication network.

Giving the larger content for its recommendation, Trai said the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in March 2022 had sought its views on introducing the Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) facility.

Accordingly, Trai issued a consultation paper in November 2022 seeking stakeholders, public, and the industry’s comments on the service.

Nearly 40 stakeholders submitted their comments, and five stakeholders furnished their counter comments, after which an open house discussion was held in March 2023, through virtual mode.

“Based on the comments/inputs received from stakeholders and on its own analysis, TRAI has finalised its recommendations on ‘Introduction of Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) Service in Indian Telecommunication Network’,” it said.