Telecom carriers have started caller ID service trials in select places in response to pressure from the government and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), reported The Economic Times.
Telcos have started "limited trials" in Mumbai and Haryana, according to a Times of India article. Citing sources, the publication stated that the operators want to include other cities in the upcoming weeks.
In light of the sharp rise in spam and fraudulent calls in recent years, the CNAP (Calling Name Presentation) is being considered as a potential solution.
Truecaller India's managing director Rishit Jhunjhunwala told Moneycontrol that the CNAP service will complement the company's existing caller ID application service without adversely affecting its business.
Moneycontrol had earlier reported that telecom companies have been directed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to start the trial for the service that will display caller names to combat spam calls.
"Trials are beginning on limited numbers as we try and assess the feasibility of CNAP, where not only the number but even the name of the caller will be displayed during incoming calls. We will be sharing the results of the trials with DoT so that a practical and justifiable view of the proposed service can be taken," a senior executive in a top telco told TOI, requesting anonymity.
TRAI had earlier stated that following a sufficient cut-off date from the date of notice, the government should release the necessary instructions for making CNAP available on all mobile phones sold in India.
On the other hand, the telecom operators had objected to the change, claiming technological difficulties.
Telcos also expressed concerns about increased call set-up time, latency, and the significant investments required to implement CNAP. They noted that currently, only 4G-enabled devices can support this feature, limiting its availability to a large portion of the market.
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio has said that this should "not be a mandatory service," adding that "there will be many technical issues like increased load on signalling and possible impact on latency and interconnection-related issues.", ET reported.
Airtel said there are "likely to be techno-commercial challenges" involved in implementing the measure and added that CNAP would need to adhere to privacy laws. "Privacy is an important consideration, and the framework is going to have to address the genuine concerns of users who may not be keen to share their details." According to Voda Idea, CNAP ought to be made available "as an optional service" rather than being required of carriers, it added.
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