Trai’s Attempt to Show Caller ID Encounters Technical Challenges

Due to technological issues, the telecom regulator's ambitious goal of making name display mandatory for incoming calls seems to have been halted.

In February, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) sent a message to telcos, asking them to combat spam and scam calls by ensuring a calling name presentation (CNAP) service on mobile phones.

However, various media reports have stated that the proposed service cannot be implemented on a national scale due to the fact that it is incompatible with 2G/3G networks and would require substantial investments in network modifications.

Hurdles That Are Blocking the Implementation

Even if there are a large number of people using 2G, the money that these consumers bring in for mobile network service providers is quite low. Consequently, it is not a realistic choice for any service provider to invest in such a technology considering that a significant number of users are unable to access it.

This indicates that the service cannot be provided to the 270–300 million users of the 2G network. The CNAP feature is expected to be supported by smartphones that have been introduced to the market after the year 2021, according to the information provided by a renowned media house. 

Additional information was provided by a media article, which stated that even if the CNAP capability were included in 4G-5G devices, it would result in a longer call-setup time, which may potentially ruin the entire call experience for users.

Reason Behind the Launch of This Idea

In an effort to lessen the amount of consumer harassment caused by unknown or spam calls, Trai made a request to the government in February with the intention of mandating that telecommunications companies install the CNAP service and even pushing device OEMs to enable the feature within a period of six months.

In the past, the regulatory body for telecommunications had proposed that trials be carried out in a single licensing service area (LSA).

The Minister of State for Communications, P. Chandra Shekhar, stated in front of Parliament the previous week that the government had taken the required procedures to initiate trials and evaluations for the purpose of establishing the CNAP service by telecommunications companies.

Experts’ Take on the Situation

Since there are already sufficient mobile apps that accomplish the goal of knowing the name of the caller in order to make an informed decision about accepting or rejecting a call, experts in the handset sector stated that there is no actual hurry to enforce CNAP without considering ground realities.

Concerns about consumer data breaches were also raised by business leaders as possible problems with a nationwide mandate for the CNAP service. They claim that some mobile users might be reluctant to provide their identities due to the sensitive nature of mobile subscriber data.

The telecom regulator Trai has proposed adding the calling entity's name to the 140-number series that companies and telemarketers use to contact subscribers.

Additionally, the telecom department has been requested to establish regulations about the necessary evidence that subscriber entities with bulk connections or business connections must give in order to register their desired name with telcos.

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