Telecom operators in India have reportedly commence limited trials of caller ID services in a couple of regions in India. The telecoms are facing pressure from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Department of Telecom (DoT) to implement the Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) feature, which is expect to help curb fake and scam calls.
If this feature is eventually implement by these operators, customers in India may no longer need to rely on third-party caller identification apps.
About CNAP Caller ID Service
As per report, telecom operators in India have start testing the CNAP caller ID display service.
The TRAI has previously sought the implementation of CNAP on all mobile phones in the country, a move that has receive some pushback from the telecoms.
These “limited tests” of the new CNAP service are currently being conduct in Mumbai and Haryana, as per the report.
It is currently unclear which telecom operators are testing the system in these areas.
Both Airtel and Reliance Jio have caution against the implementation of CNAP in India, with the former telling the publication about potential “techno-commercial challenges” related to introducing CNAP with the need to adhere to privacy laws.
Jio reportedly warn of issues such as and “increase load on signalling and possible impact on latency and interconnection-related issues.”
How CNAP Caller ID Works?
When the CNAP caller ID service is enable, a user’s mobile phone will display the caller’s phone number as well as their full name collect by the telecom via its customer application form (CAF) and verified during the know your customer (KYC) process.
The system is expect to help lower the rise of unwant spam and scam calls.
The TRAI had previously recommended that telecom operators maintain a list of customer names and phone numbers that would enable the use of the service, in a report publish in February.
But, the proposal has face some opposition from telecom operators including Airtel, Vi, and Reliance Jio.
One of the problems related to the implementation of CNAP on all mobile phones is the ability of handset makers and software providers to collect caller information on a large scale.
Operators like Airtel and Reliance Jio have also suggest that customers be allow to opt-in to the CNAP service, while making it mandatory for commercial and telemarketing numbers.
