The name and identity of the mobile phone caller will be displayed effective from Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023. The Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST), the Saudi digital regulator, has completed all preparations in this regard.
The CST, the Saudi digital regulator, had earlier presented a draft technical specification for displaying the caller’s name and identity. The caller's name and number must be displayed in the call log, and the device must be able to receive and display the caller’s name and number for all types of technologies.
The CST stated that the new service aims to raise the level of reliability of calls received from legal entities to the user, as well as to ensure compatibility of communications networks with mobile phone device manufacturers. The specification aims to employ modern technologies to reduce spoofing calls and protect users, and contribute to reducing reliance on unreliable programs and applications that violate the privacy of the callers. It also educate users about the feature concerned with displaying the name of the connected party.
The service allows only the names of legal entities to appear to users, whether governmental or private, when contacting them, through those entities subscribing to the service with the service providers. The scope of this specification focuses on enabling the feature of displaying the name of the party to which it is connected in terminal devices operating on mobile networks in Saudi Arabia.
It is an additional feature that enables the receiver of the call to know the identity of the caller by including the name of the party from which the call is coming. The service providers can use this feature in their networks to determine the name of the caller, without the need for action on the part of the connected parties to activate this feature.
The general requirements of the specification included urging service providers of mobile and land phones to implement the required solutions to facilitate the availability of the feature in their networks according to the specifications.