No more unknown numbers: Caller ID to include callers’ registered names from November 1 under new DoT rules

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has updated India's caller identification regulations, enabling caller ID systems to display a caller's name as registered in their telecom provider's subscriber records starting November 1, 2026.

This update was introduced via an amendment to the Unified Licence Agreement, which revised the formal definition of Calling Line Identification (CLI).

Under the updated terms, caller identification may encompass the telephone identifier issued by a telecom provider, the subscriber's name on file, or any alternative identification designated by the licensor.


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Previously, CLI was primarily defined by a subscriber's telephone number, IP address, or other licensor-prescribed identifiers. The latest modification formally integrates the subscriber's registered name into the CLI definition.

The DoT executed this amendment pursuant to provisions in the Unified Licence Agreement that permit modifications to license conditions on grounds of public interest, national security, or the proper operation of telecom services.

Replacing the existing clause in the Unified Licence Agreement, this new definition officially takes effect on November 1, 2026.

The Dept of Telecommunications said, “Calling Line Identification means the telecommunication identifier assigned to a calling user by the licensee providing telecommunication service to such user; or the name of the user as recorded in subscriber data record or such other identification as the Licensor may specify from time to time”.

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The amendment, however, leaves unaddressed whether telecom operators will be mandated to show the caller's name on receiving handsets or the technical mechanisms for doing so.