No More Unknown Callers, Govt Working On Its Own ‘Truecaller-like’ Framework: Report

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is working on a new framework that would essentially flash the caller’s name on the recipient’s phone screen. Currently, a name flashes on the phone screen only when the number is saved in the contact list. According to news agency PTI quoting a ‘top official’, Trai will soon start consultation on framing a mechanism for the caller’s KYC-based name to flash on phone screens. There are apps such as Truecaller that help users identify callers if the number isn’t saved. However, there are limitations as most of the data on the app is crowdsourced.

PTI notes that Trai has received a reference to begin consultation on the same from the Department of Telecom (DoT). The consultation on this is expected to begin in a couple of months, Trai Chairman PD Vaghela said.

“We have just received a reference, and we will start work on this soon. Name as per KYC will appear when someone calls,” Vaghela told the news agency. He added saying, “The mechanism will enable name-appearing on a phone screen, in accordance with KYC done by telecom companies, as per DoT norms.”

The move could bring transparency to the whole calling network, despite the government’s and smartphone OEMs efforts to combat spam calls. Since the move is just a reference at this point, the actual timeline of the development remains unclear and may take many years to fully complete. ‘Experts’ told Trai that a KYC-based caller identification mechanism would safeguard users against rising instances of spam calls and fraud.

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Meanwhile, in an email statement, the caller identification app Truecaller’s spokesperson said: “We welcome any and all actions in the mission to make communication safe and efficient. Number identification is crucial to end the menace of spam and scam calls, and we at Truecaller, have been working tirelessly towards this important mission for the past 13 years. We appreciate this move by TRAI and would like to reiterate that we remain very supportive for this and any future initiatives they have.”

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