On February 23, 2024, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) announced its recommendations for deploying Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) services across India. Currently, when receiving phone calls, users can only see the originating phone numbers. However, TRAI and the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) advocate that revealing callers’ names alongside their numbers could significantly mitigate the prevalent issues of nuisance calls, scams, and spam, which plague Indian consumers. As per TRAI, the persistent mistrust towards unidentified numbers has led to a widespread reluctance to answer calls, causing even legitimate communications to be missed. By integrating caller names with their phone numbers, CNAP aims to restore users’ trust, encouraging them to engage more confidently with incoming calls. This enhancement, according to TRAI, is expected to curb unwanted communications effectively, safeguarding time and resources. This article delves into the potential impact of CNAP, evaluating its effectiveness in other regions where it has been implemented and exploring additional strategies to address this persistent challenge.
Will CNAP Restore User’s Trust and Confidence?
The efficacy of Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) in bolstering user trust and confidence remains debatable. The premise of CNAP, while ostensibly beneficial, encounters scepticism regarding its utility in authenticating the legitimacy of incoming calls. For users, the crux of the matter when an unfamiliar number appears is discerning its intent—is it a legitimate call, a marketing ploy, or a potential scam?
