DoT directs no international calls without proper caller ID to reach users

The Department of Telecommunications has mandated that all calls with no or improper caller line identification should be dropped by the International Long Distance Operators (ILDOs) at their gateways.

The DoT has amended the clause regarding caller identification of international calls in the Unified License for telecom service providers in a bid to up security and in public interest.

In other words, any international call without a proper identification must be stopped at the telco’s server level and should not reach the consumer at all.

All ILDOs need to verify and check for complete caller identification for international calls, and if not found, need to drop said call and not pass it on to the national long distance operator (domestic telecom service provider).

The amended clause comes into effect form August 1.

Earlier, the clause stated that in case a call originating outside the country does not have the proper caller line identification, then the ILD was required to introduce its assigned 2-digit code, followed by the country code from where the call originated before passing on the call to the national telecom service provider. This was done to identify the country the call originated from, and the ILDO that handled the call.