The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has amended India's telecom licensing rules to include a subscriber's registered name in the definition of Calling Line Identification (CLI), with the change taking effect on November 1, 2026.
The change comes through an amendment to the Unified Licence Agreement, which updates the definition of CLI.
Under the revised definition, caller identification can include the telephone identifier assigned by a telecom service provider, the subscriber's name recorded in its records, or any other identification specified by the licensor.
Earlier, the definition primarily covered a subscriber's identity through a telephone number, an IP address or another identification method prescribed by the licensor.
The amended definition explicitly includes the subscriber's registered name as a form of caller identification.
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According to the DoT, the amendment has been made under the provisions of the Unified Licence Agreement, which allow changes to licence terms in the public interest, for national security or to ensure the proper functioning of telecommunication services.
However, the amendment does not specify whether telecom operators will be required to display the caller's name on the recipient's phone screen or how such a display would work.
