Telecom regulator Trai will soon start consultation on framing a mechanism for caller’s KYC-based name to flash on phone screens when someone calls, according to 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.
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.
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 ending 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 of this and any future initiatives they have,” the company spokesperson added.
