TRAI’s caller ID plan not a competition but catalyst for growth

The information in the Indian press claims that TRAI has received a request from the Department of Telecommunications to investigate what would be required in order to develop a simple caller identification service. Based on the limited information available, the purpose seems to be to develop a service that will display the caller’s name based on the Know Your Customer (KYC) process conducted in India in connection with the purchase of a SIM-card. The available information indicates that the solution should be an “opt-in service”. This is one of several similar initiatives from TRAI over the past ten years, and Truecaller welcomes all attempts aimed at helping in the mission to make communications safer and more secure. If the service described was to be developed, the assessment is that its implementation would take many years and require a successful collaboration with all major telecom operators.

“Based on the information available at present, we do not see that this would be a competitive service comparable to the full range of services and functionality that Truecaller offers to our more than 310 million monthly active users. With our technology and data, Truecaller solves many more issues than a basic number identification service. We believe that the proposed TRAI development can even be a driving catalyst for our continued growth in India, as more people discover our offerings. During our 13 years, we have seen many players – both private and state-driven – trying to enter this industry, we are humble in the face of the great challenge of ensuring safe and reliable communication for everyone. At Truecaller, we believe that our focus on our services and our users will create the most value for both the users, society as a whole, and our shareholders”, says Alan Mamedi, CEO and co-founder.

CT Bureau