New Delhi, October 15, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed telecom operators to implement Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) services across their service areas from November 1, 2026, enabling mobile users to see a caller’s name alongside their telephone number on incoming calls.
According to the guidelines, telecom service providers have already conducted trials of CNAP on wireless terrestrial networks operating on 4G and higher-generation technologies.
The facility will be made available automatically to eligible users, without requiring subscribers to submit separate requests. Implementation of CNAP on 2G, 3G and public switched telephone networks will be considered separately after further examination.
Under the new framework, the caller’s name will become part of the Calling Line Identification (CLI), which currently displays only the telephone number. The CLI shown on the recipient’s handset will contain two fields: one identifying the caller’s telephone number and the other displaying the caller’s name.
The name appearing on the recipient’s screen will depend on whether the caller’s number is saved in the phone’s contact list. If the number is already stored, the saved contact name will continue to appear. If it is not saved, the name recorded in the originating telecom operator’s subscriber database will be displayed for domestic calls. International calls will be identified simply as “International Call”.
The government said the framework has been introduced in accordance with Rule 48(1) of the Telecommunications (Authorisation for Provision of Principal Telecommunication Services) Rules, 2026. The provision requires authorised entities to ensure secure presentation of calling line identification and prevent tampering.
To protect user privacy and network security, telecom operators will be required to follow a “security-by-design” approach. The guidelines specify that the query-response mechanism used to retrieve caller name information must not retain the calling name identity once the incoming call has ended.
Operators must also ensure that their networks, databases and connectivity infrastructure are adequately equipped to process CNAP requests efficiently without affecting service quality.
The guidelines also provide flexibility for businesses and bulk customers by allowing them to display a preferred name instead of the name recorded in subscriber records. Such preferred names must either be registered trademarks listed with the Trade Marks Registry or registered trade names on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) portal.
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