India Orders Caller Names on 4G and 5G Phones From November 1, 2026

Registered names to appear beside incoming numbers

India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed telecom operators to display callers' names alongside their phone numbers from November 1, 2026, making Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) a default service on 4G and newer mobile networks, including 5G.

The October 13, 2026 directive applies to operators holding a licence or authorisation to provide access services across all their service areas. Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and state owned BSNL are among the providers covered. Eligible subscribers will receive the service automatically, without submitting a separate request.

The circular states: "Each originating TSP shall provide the calling name presentation service to each user without the requirement of any separate request from such user."

For domestic calls from numbers missing from a recipient's contacts, the displayed name will come from the caller's telecom operator records. Numbers already saved on the phone will continue to show the name chosen by the recipient. International calls will carry the label "International Call".

The government expects the change to help people identify unfamiliar callers and support efforts against unwanted and fraudulent calls. Its immediate effect is straightforward: someone receiving an unsaved domestic number will have a registered name to consider before deciding whether to answer.

What will appear on the screen?

The prescribed display has two fields. The first contains the caller's phone number, continuing the existing practice. The second contains the relevant name, with the recipient's contacts taking priority over the operator's subscriber database.

A relative saved as "Mum", for example, will continue to appear under that familiar contact name. If the same number calls someone who has not saved it, the system will instead retrieve the name recorded against that connection by the originating operator, meaning the company providing the caller's telephone service.

The Ministry of Communications defined the identity used for CNAP in its October 13 circular:

Calling name identity is the name of the calling user as recorded in subscriber data record of the originating telecommunication service provider and such identity is included in the calling line identification of such user.

The registered subscriber name is therefore the central reference for an unfamiliar domestic number. International calls follow a different display rule, while subscribers using the permitted identity restriction facility will have their names withheld.

Which networks are covered?

The first phase covers wireless terrestrial networks using 4G and higher generations of technology. These are mobile networks delivered through equipment on the ground, such as mobile towers, rather than through satellites. The requirement includes 5G.

Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea have conducted trials of the service. Tests on 4G and 5G networks took place in the months before the directive, providing the basis for moving from trials to a requirement across service areas.

The DoT will examine introducing CNAP on 2G, 3G and public switched telephone networks separately. Public switched telephone networks are the conventional telephone networks associated with landline services. No introduction date was given for those networks.

For subscribers, the important dividing line is the network covered by the first phase. The November 1 requirement extends across operators, but its initial technical scope is 4G and newer mobile networks.

How operators will retrieve the name

Every originating telecom operator must establish, operate and maintain an updated database connecting subscriber names with their telephone numbers. The receiving operator will query that database when an incoming call needs a registered name.

A call between two different providers illustrates the process. If a Jio subscriber calls an Airtel subscriber whose contacts do not contain the number, the receiving network retrieves the registered name from the originating operator's database and presents it to the recipient.

The lookup happens as part of handling the incoming call. Operators must provide enough database capacity, network resources and connectivity to process these requests efficiently, while maintaining service quality under applicable laws.

For users, CNAP supplies a network service for identifying unfamiliar numbers, offering an alternative to relying on a separate caller identification application such as Truecaller. Its identifying information comes from telecom subscriber records, with saved phone contacts still taking precedence.

What happens to names after a call?

The DoT requires operators to build security into the service from the start. Under this approach, the systems exchanging a caller's name must protect that information as part of their normal operation.

The specific retention rule concerns the name retrieved through the query and response process: operators must not retain that fetched information after the incoming call ends. The originating operator must still maintain the subscriber database needed to answer future requests.

These are two different parts of the system. One is the operator's continuing record linking a subscriber to a number. The other is the information retrieved for a particular incoming call, which must be deleted when that call finishes.

Operators must also provide a mechanism to receive and resolve complaints about CNAP within a fixed time. This places responsibility for addressing service problems with the telecom providers implementing the system.

Who can withhold their identity?

Subscribers who have activated Calling Line Identification Restriction (CLIR) will not have their names displayed through CNAP. CLIR is the facility used to withhold caller identity when placing a call, and operators are expected to provide it.

The automatic introduction of CNAP and the availability of CLIR serve different purposes. CNAP makes caller names available to eligible recipients without a separate activation request. CLIR provides a restriction for callers who use the identity withholding facility.

A recipient will therefore encounter several possible displays after November 1: a familiar saved contact name, a registered subscriber name for an unsaved domestic number, or an international call label. The CLIR exemption provides another outcome in which the caller's name is withheld.

Businesses can request a verified name

Business and bulk connection subscribers may be offered the option of displaying a preferred name instead of the name otherwise held in the operator's subscriber records. The alternative must meet registration and verification requirements.

A qualifying preferred name must be either a trademark registered in the subscriber's name with the Trade Marks Registry or the subscriber's trade name registered on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) portal. The trademark registry records registered marks, while the GST portal contains registration information used in India's goods and services tax system.

A business using a trading name can therefore seek to present that name when calling customers, provided it matches an eligible registration. The operator must check both the requested name and its supporting documents before allowing its use.

For a new connection, the preferred name must appear in both the customer application form and the subscriber data record. Original documents proving registration under that name must be presented to the originating operator, which must attach true copies to the application form.

Existing business and bulk connection subscribers must apply to update their preferred names. Operators must establish a process to receive those requests and verify the evidence, including when an eligible subscriber asks to change the displayed name.

How the default service took shape

The November 2026 rollout follows recommendations issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on February 23, 2024. The regulator's original approach proposed activating caller name presentation when a subscriber requested it.

In its response to the DoT dated October 28, 2025, TRAI acknowledged the department's rationale and supported its proposal for default availability with an opt-out provision. The DoT had sought modifications to TRAI's February 2024 recommendations, which proposed an opt-in service. That change removed the need for eligible recipients to ask for the service before receiving registered caller names.

• February 23, 2024: TRAI issued recommendations on introducing calling name presentation.
• October 28, 2025: TRAI agreed with the DoT proposal to make CNAP available by default with an opt-out provision.
• October 13, 2026: The DoT issued its implementation directive following operator trials.
• November 1, 2026: The CNAP requirement and the revised calling line identification definition take effect.

The October 13 circular also refers to and supersedes DoT instructions dated November 21, 2025, which addressed Know Your Customer (KYC) issues during implementation.

The legal framework includes Rule 48(1) of the Telecommunications (Authorisation for Provision of Principal Telecommunication Services) Rules, 2026. It requires authorised entities to present calling line identification securely and protect it against tampering.

The Unified Licence Agreement also requires operators to provide calling line identification. An amendment to its definition takes effect on November 1, bringing the registered caller name into the identification information alongside the number.

What changes for everyday calls?

Mobile users on eligible networks will receive more information at the moment an unfamiliar domestic call arrives. Instead of seeing only a sequence of digits, they will usually see the name attached to the connection in the originating operator's records.

Recipients will keep the contact names they already recognise, while businesses can apply to show verified trading identities. Operators take on the work behind the display: maintaining accurate name and number databases, exchanging queries, protecting the retrieved information and handling complaints.

The government's intended benefit is easier identification before a call is answered. Delivering that benefit depends on several practical requirements working together, including up to date subscriber records, prompt database lookups and enough network capacity to preserve call quality.

The November 1 change therefore combines a visible addition to the incoming call screen with new operational duties for telecom companies. Its first reach is defined by 4G and newer networks, with older mobile technologies and conventional landlines awaiting a separate decision.

Key Points

• CNAP becomes a default service on India's 4G and newer mobile networks from November 1, 2026.
• TRAI supported default availability with an opt-out provision in its October 28, 2025 response to the DoT.
• Saved contact names take priority; unsaved domestic numbers use the originating operator's subscriber records.
• International calls will display the label "International Call".
• Names retrieved through the lookup process must not be retained after the call ends.
• Subscribers using CLIR will have their names withheld.
• Business and bulk subscribers may request a verified trademark or GST trade name.
• CNAP on 2G, 3G and conventional landline networks will be considered separately.