The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is soon going to introduce the Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) system in India. With the implementation of CNAP, Indians may be able to see the verified name of the caller along with a number while picking up calls. India is planning to regulate calls and messages to help reduce the number of spam calls, fraud calls, and scam calls.
What is CNAP?
The Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) is a telecom service that displays the caller’s verified name, recently obtained from the Customer Application Form (CAF), to a customer on receipt of a call. Compared to crowd-sourced applications like Truecaller, whose information depends on user-loaded databases, the information in CNAP will come from telecom operators – thus endorsed by the government and accurate and reliable.
TRAI has offered businesses the option to present a “preferred name” such as a registered trademark or company name in place of the individual subscriber’s CAF name. Transparency in both personal and enterprise communication will be created.
Why India Needs CNAP.
India is witnessing a rapid rise in spam and fraud calls, we are seeing calls offering to double our money on investment, fake jobs, and impersonation of government agencies. According to a 2024 report by Truecaller, the average person in India receives 17 spam calls in a month, and it ranks among countries most spammed in the world. The CNAP system aims to:
- Minimise the use of third-party caller ID apps.
- Help residents readily identify genuine callers.
- Lower the frequency of telecom based frauds.
- Make the communication ecosystem trustworthy.
TRAI’s Roadmap and Recommendations.
The idea of CNAP was first mooted through a consultation paper released by TRAI on 29 November 2022. After extensive deliberations with stakeholders and open house in early 2023, the recommendations were finalised and released in February 2024. Few Key Highlights of the recommendations include:
- All telecom access service providers must implement CNAP.
- Using CAF data to present verified names of callers.
- Before rolling out the system across India, operators will run a trial in one Licensed Service Area.
- Combined with current CLI (Calling Line Identification) standards.
- A way for subscribers to decide how to be kept anonymous.
- Business numbers can use their official registered name.
TRAI proposed multiple implementation models. Each telecom operator will have a secure database that will map each mobile number with its subscriber name. When a call is made, the system of the terminating operator will make a real-time query from the originating operator’s CNAP database and obtain the calling party’s name for display on the called party’s device.
The rollout will initially focus on 4G and 5G networks, as 2G and other legacy systems are technically constrained. TRAI has also suggested that all devices sold in India should be CNAP-compliant to allow hosting of services over an industry standard interface and further long-term standardisation.
Benefits of CNAP:
- Seeing verified names based on government documents will curb impersonation and identity theft.
- Spam and fraud control, the visibility of legitimate identities can help curb nuisance and fraud callers.
- With CNAP being an integrated service from the operator, users will not have to rely on third-party apps that often collect unnecessary personal data.
- Companies can use their official business names because of CNAP. This builds trust and ensures brand appearance during the call.
Concerns and Challenges on Privacy?
- As per Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) 2023, displaying subscriber names without their explicit consent may violate the law.
- Connecting different telecom companies must be done very securely for them to be able to share names in real-time.
- CNAP may not work on 2G and 3G systems due to legacy network constraints.
- Telecom operators will need to ensure there are no data leakages and due misuse of subscriber data.
- Social Activist have asked the TRAI to ensure transparency in consent mechanisms and data handling in order to avoid the misuse of subscriber data.
The Current Status of CNAP:
- Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea, have already started pilot testing CNAP in select Maharashtra and Haryana centres.
- The directorate has ordered all operators to complete their technical trials and be ready for national launch.
- The expected roll-out of CNAP to consumers in phases will occur in 2026, based on successful pilot results.
The government may soon mandate CNAP support in every smartphone sold in India, and expect an end-to-end ecosystem.
The Road Ahead:
TRAI’s move to authorise network-operated calls is one of its most important regulatory steps for ensuring trustworthy and safe voice communication. It is not a magic cure for spam or fraud but it does offer a verified identity layer to India’s telecom infrastructure. This creates a foundation that can later be augmented by digital consent frameworks and caller verification protocols and AI-driven fraud detection systems.
The average Indian user is expected to bid adieu to the days of guessing the identity of the caller as CNAP replaces uncertainty with certainty.
Conclusion
TRAI wishes every call to be transparent and trustworthy so that the citizen can make an informed decisions on whether to answer that call or not. This initiative depends upon technical readiness, privacy safeguards, and public trust, but it does have the potential to transform the communication landscape in India. As India transitions into a more secure and transparent digital future, CNAP could very well be the nation’s Truecaller, constructed not by an app but rather by regulation.
