India CNAP: official caller-name display and what it means for enterprise and AI calls

Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) is India's network-level caller-name service: the recipient's operator shows the calling party's name, taken from the subscriber's KYC records, next to the number on an incoming call. TRAI recommended it on 23 February 2024; the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) then decided it should be on by default for every called party, with an opt-out. For enterprises, the key rule is that bulk and business connections may display a verified "preferred name" — a registered trademark, GST trade name or other officially registered name — instead of the name on the connection form. This BroadNet guide covers what the official texts say, what they leave open, and what it means for outbound teams and AI voice agents.

Key takeaways

• TRAI's 2024 recommendations proposed CNAP on request. In its back-reference of 26 September 2025, DoT concluded that CNAP shall be available by default to the called party, who may ask to disable it; TRAI "noted" this on 28 October 2025.
• The name shown is the name in the Customer Application Form (CAF). Bulk and business connections may instead show a "preferred name" if they prove ownership with a valid document.
• Saved contacts show the recipient's own contact name first; international calls show "International Call".
• DoT's view is that implementation for 4G and higher subscribers may be done immediately, with circuit-switched (2G/3G) networks later.
• Separately, TRAI's TCCCPR rules require commercial calls to come only from designated number series: 140 for promotional calls and 1600 (or another allotted series) for service and transactional calls.

What is CNAP?

DoT's original reference to TRAI, dated 21 March 2022, defines it: CNAP "is the supplementary service which enables the called party to receive the calling name information of the calling party", at call set-up time, for all incoming calls. Until now, Indian networks have displayed only the calling number as the calling line identification (CLI), and no licence condition required operators to present a name.

TRAI's recommendations define the calling name (CNAM) as "the name identity of the calling/originating subscriber as per the Customer Application Form (CAF)", and widen the Unified License definition of CLI to cover both the number and the CNAM.

How did CNAP get here? The official timeline

Has the pan-India commercial rollout been completed? We could not find an official answer. As of 10 October 2026, none of the TRAI, DoT or PIB documents we could open sets a public deadline for the nationwide launch or announces that it has been completed. The 21 November 2025 letter refers to the trial and to a commercial rollout "as & when decided by DoT"; treat dates in press reports as unconfirmed.

Is CNAP on by default?

Yes, under the Government's decision. TRAI's 2024 recommendation 3.1(b) said operators should provide CNAP to subscribers "upon their request". DoT's back-reference changed this: "the CNAP service shall be available by default to called party and if any subscriber (called party) does not require it then he/she may request to disable it as per procedure." DoT reasoned that asking millions of subscribers to activate it "would involve considerable effort", while an opt-out balances privacy and genuineness. TRAI noted the change in its response of 28 October 2025.

There is an important limit on reach. DoT's view on recommendation 3.3 is that implementation "for 4G & higher technology cellular mobile subscribers may be done on immediate basis", with the rest after circuit-switched feasibility is achieved. TRAI also recommended that all handsets sold in India support CNAP after a cut-off date; DoT accepted this and said the handset matter is to be taken up with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Recipients on older networks or handsets may still see only your number.

Which name will a business call show?

By default, the name recorded in the CAF when the connection was taken. TRAI recommendation 3.7, accepted by DoT, gives bulk and business connections a choice, and DoT's letter of 21 November 2025 turned it into an instruction to operators:

• Entities holding bulk or business connections "may be permitted to display their 'preferred name'" in place of the CAF name.
• The preferred name may be the registered trademark name per Ministry of Corporate Affairs records, the trade name registered with the GST Council, or any other officially recognised name registered with a Government authority — subject to a valid document establishing ownership of that name.
• New connections record the preferred name in the CAF and the Subscriber Data Record (SDR); for existing connections, each operator must set up a way to verify the documents and update the SDR.
• The operator must carry out due diligence and is held responsible for misuse if it assigns a preferred name without proper verification.

So the name you show is a KYC matter with the operator that issued your numbers. An unregistered marketing name does not qualify, and the name follows the connection: numbers registered to a vendor or contact centre show that party's name, not yours.

What exactly appears on the recipient's screen?

DoT's letter sets a two-field display: the calling number, as today, and a name chosen in a fixed order of priority.

For global brands, a call placed into India from abroad will not carry your name. To show a verified name, the call must originate from an Indian number held under your KYC.

How does CNAP fit with the 140 and 1600 number series?

CNAP sits on top of TRAI's commercial-communication rules, not in place of them. The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2025, notified on 12 February 2025, rewrote regulation 3 of TCCCPR 2018: operators must ensure commercial communication takes place "only using registered headers or the number resources allotted to the Senders from special series assigned for the purpose of commercial communication", and an unregistered sender's telecom resources may be suspended or disconnected.

The explanatory memorandum spells out the series: promotional voice calls through auto-dialers or robo-calls "should be permitted through 140-series numbers only", and service and transactional calls "through 1600 or any other series allotted for the purpose". New regulation 34A bars call-management apps from blanket tagging or blocking of these series.

So a business call carries two layers of identity: the number series, which signals the kind of call, and — where CNAP is live — the verified name. TRAI's recommendation that 140 and service-series calls always present the entity name was accepted by DoT only "in principle", so watch for the implementing instruction. Our India DLT registration guide covers the 1600-series migration deadlines TRAI set for banks, NBFCs, insurers and other regulated entities.

What does CNAP mean for AI voice agents and automated calls?

Neither the CNAP documents nor the 2025 TCCCPR amendment mention AI voice agents by name. The amended regulation 4 requires every sender to notify its originating operator, in writing and in advance, "about the use of Auto Dialer or Robo-Calls as well as the intended objective of such calls". An AI agent that places calls automatically is, at the least, an automated calling system, and the cautious reading is to treat it as one.

• Place AI-driven promotional calls only from 140-series numbers and service or transactional calls from 1600 or another allotted series — never from ordinary 10-digit numbers.
• Declare the use of auto-dialers or AI calling, and its purpose, to the originating operator before you start.
• Hold the numbers in your own entity's name, and register a verified preferred name, so CNAP shows your brand rather than a vendor's.
• Make the agent's opening line match the name on screen: say who is calling and on whose behalf, and that the caller is an AI. Our AI voice-agent calling rules guide explains why disclosure is the safe default across markets.

For the North American approach to caller identity, see STIR/SHAKEN and caller-ID authentication.

Where BroadNet fits

CNAP names are registered with the operator that issues your numbers, so that step sits with your Indian telecom provider. DialerBee, the multilingual AI outbound dialer, runs language-aware answering-machine detection in 12 languages, including Hindi AMD and transcription, and checks configured DNC lists, consent status, calling windows, retry limits and CLI ownership before each dial, blocking and logging calls that fail. It connects over bring-your-own-carrier SIP, so you can route through the operator and numbers registered to your own entity. For spoken one-time passcodes and automated reminders, see the Voice API; for AI voice agents, see BroadNet AI.

SMS has its own identity regime. Every commercial text in India runs on DLT, with registered headers carrying -P, -S, -T or -G suffixes and pre-approved templates; see India A2P SMS regulations and India coverage.

CNAP readiness checklist for enterprise outbound calling

1. 1List every number you and your vendors use to call India, and who each is registered to.
2. 2Move promotional calling to 140-series and service or transactional calling to 1600-series (or other allotted) numbers registered to your entity.
3. 3Decide your preferred name and collect proof: a trademark per Ministry of Corporate Affairs records, a GST-registered trade name or another Government-registered name.
4. 4Ask each operator for its preferred-name process for new and existing connections, and check that the name is recorded in the CAF and SDR.
5. 5Notify the originating operator in advance if you use auto-dialers, robo-calls or AI agents, with the objective of the calls.
6. 6Fix wrong or outdated names in your KYC data at the operator.
7. 7Re-check the DoT and TRAI sites before planning around a launch date; no official nationwide date had been published at our last check.

Frequently asked questions

What is CNAP in India?

A network service that shows the caller's KYC name, from the originating operator's records, next to the number. TRAI recommended it on 23 February 2024; DoT accepted the recommendations, modifying three.

Is CNAP switched on automatically?

Yes, under DoT's decision. CNAP is to be available by default to the called party, who may ask the operator to disable it. TRAI had originally proposed it on request and noted the change on 28 October 2025.

Which name does CNAP display?

The name in the Customer Application Form (CAF). If the recipient has the number saved, their own contact name is shown first; international calls show "International Call"; callers with CLIR active have no name shown.

Can a business show its brand name instead of its legal name?

Yes, if it is registered. Bulk and business connections may display a preferred name — a trademark per Ministry of Corporate Affairs records, a GST-registered trade name or another name registered with a Government authority — after submitting a valid ownership document to the operator.

When will CNAP be live across India?

No official date had been published in the TRAI, DoT or PIB documents we could open as of 10 October 2026. 4G and higher subscribers come first; dates in press reports are unconfirmed.

Do 140 and 1600 numbers show the company name?

TRAI recommended that calls from 140-series and service or transactional series numbers should invariably present the entity's name. DoT accepted this in principle; watch for the implementing instruction.

Does CNAP replace DLT registration?

No. CNAP covers caller names on voice calls; DLT still governs commercial SMS, and commercial calls must still use the 140 and 1600 series.

Do AI voice-agent calls need anything extra?

The rules do not name AI agents, but senders must notify the originating operator in advance about auto-dialer or robo-call use and its purpose, and must use the designated series. Disclosing that the caller is an AI is the safe default.

We read every text below on 10 October 2026; see our editorial standards.

Sources

• TRAI — Recommendations on Introduction of Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) Service in Indian Telecommunication Network, 23 February 2024: trai.gov.in.
• TRAI — Response to the back-reference of 26 September 2025 received from DoT, 28 October 2025, including DoT's Annexure-A (Government's prima-facie conclusions) and Annexure-I (rationale): trai.gov.in.
• TRAI — Press Release No. 122/2025, 28 October 2025: trai.gov.in; the same release on PIB (Release ID 2183354): pib.gov.in.
• Department of Telecommunications (Licensing Policy Wing) — Instructions for handling anticipated KYC issues during implementation of CNAP service in India, File No. 800-18/2025-LPU, 21 November 2025: dot.gov.in.
• TRAI — Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2025, notification No. RG-25/(25)/2023-QoS, 12 February 2025, with explanatory memorandum: trai.gov.in.