DoT Asks Telcos To Soon Implement Caller ID Service On Mobile Phones

The Department of Telecommunications has reportedly asked telecom operators to introduce caller ID feature on mobile phones to keep spams in check.

As directed by DoT, the telecom operators need to implement calling name presentation (CNAP) service on mobile phones soon, an ET report said. 

In a response, the telco industry has raised concerns over user’s privacy with the rollout of the service.

The industry further highlighted its probable effect on the existing caller ID applications, the report added. 

DoT is also planning to launch the second phase of a centralised system soon to block international spoofed calls, as reported in October last year. The system will be rolled out to keep an eye on curbing the growing number of incidents involving fake threats of mobile disconnection and arrests, and impersonation of government officials, said DoT. 

In an effort towards curbing spam calls, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is also looking to launch an updated version of its do not disturb (DND) app to provide some relief to smartphone users.

It was reported in October last year that TRAI will likely finalise tighter and updated regulations on curbing spam calls and messages by January, after it directed telecom operators to blacklist 50 entities for spamming end users.

To further combat these threats, the DoT has introduced several initiatives such as the Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU) that is aimed at curbing the misuse of telecom resources for cybercrime and financial fraud. 

Additionally, the DoT has developed the Sanchar Saathi portal, which serves as a citizen-centric platform allowing users to report suspected fraudulent communications and unsolicited messages, report stolen or lost handsets, verify the genuineness of mobile devices before purchase, and report incoming international calls with Indian numbers.

Besides, a week ago, telecom operators urged DoT to adopt the TRAI new definition of international traffic, which could increase their SMS revenues by over INR 400 Cr annually. 

The request arose from a long-standing issue where MNCs were accused of misclassifying international messages as domestic to avoid higher charges associated with international SMS.