DoT Reportedly Asks Telcos to Complete Caller ID System Trials, Submit Report by April 18

The Department of Telecom (DoT) has instructed three major telecom operators in India to complete inter-operator trials for the upcoming Caller Name Presentation (CNAP) feature by Friday, according to a report. As the technology requires modern network infrastructure, only 4G and 5G smartphones will have access to the CNAP feature when it is rolled out. Airtel and Vi are said to be working with Nokia to introduce the feature for their subscribers in the country, while Jio will rely on its own in-house CNAP technology.

CNAP Might Be Unsupported on Vi, Airtel 2G Networks

Citing unnamed sources, a Moneycontrol report claims that the DoT has asked Airtel, Vi, and Jio to complete their reports on recently conducted inter-operator CNAP trials by April 18. Vi is the only service provider that has yet to begin inter-operator testing for the CNAP feature, according to the report.

Jio developed its own CNAP technology, which will provide its customers with caller identification for incoming calls. The telecom operator is expected to have the smoothest rollout, as it only offers 4G and 5G connectivity.

On the other hand, only customers with 4G and 5G smartphones will have access to the CNAP feature when it is rolled out on Vi and Airtel's networks, as per the report. Both operators also serve 2G mobile users in the country, but these networks do not currently support the CNAP technology and could require considerable investment.

When the CNAP feature is eventually rolled out to telecom subscribers across the country, it is likely to reduce dependence on third party caller identification apps like Truecaller or Hiya. The CNAP displays the subscriber name associated with the caller, sourced from the operator's customer database.

There's no word on when the CNAP service will be rolled out to customers. CNAP is designed to help curb the rise of unwanted telemarketing, spam, and scam calls in the country. When the system is rolled out, users will see the name associated with the phone number of the caller, when they receive an incoming call.