India orders default caller name display from November 1

India’s Department of Telecommunications has directed telecom operators to introduce default caller-name display on supported 4G-and-newer wireless networks from November 1, 2026. The Calling Name Presentation service, or CNAP, is to be provided without subscribers having to request activation, according to a DoT circular dated October 13. For an incoming domestic call from a number not saved in the recipient’s contacts, the phone will show the caller’s number and the name recorded in the originating operator’s subscriber database. If the number is saved, the recipient’s stored contact name will appear instead. International calls will display “International Call” rather than a caller name, and calls made by subscribers using Calling Line Identification Restriction, or CLIR, will not show a name through CNAP. The initial rollout covers wireless networks using 4G and newer technologies, including 5G. The DoT said the service’s introduction on 2G and 3G networks and landline systems would be considered separately. The directive sets a start date for implementation; it does not establish that the service is already available across operators’ networks.