JEDDAH — The Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST), the Saudi digital regulator, has presented a draft technical specification for displaying the name and identity of the mobile phone caller, effective from Oct. 1, 2023. 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, including 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G. This specification aims to employ modern technologies to raise the efficiency of services provided to the end user. It also aims to ensure compatibility of terminal devices with networks operating in the Kingdom, and educate users about the feature concerned with displaying the name of the connected party. 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. The manufacturers are also required to conduct tests, issue an acknowledgment to support the caller's name display feature, and obtain the approval of all mobile network operators in the Kingdom in order to ensure the compatibility of the devices with the networks of service providers in the Kingdom. The CST specified that mobile network operators in the Kingdom must conduct the required tests and issue approval in accordance with the technical specification (GEN002), and to prove compliance with any of the additional requirements cited in the relevant technical specifications. This may require providing the authority with specific test results, standardization charts, technical interpretations, or declarations issued by the applicant himself in accordance with these requirements. Mobile and fixed service providers must also take the necessary security measures in networks to ensure that the source of the caller's name is the original source. More information about the characteristics and specifications of telecommunications networks can be obtained through coordination with service providers in the Kingdom. Manufacturers of peripheral devices must activate this feature on all concerned devices, and commit to support the identification of the device to receive the name and number of the caller through the network and display it on the screen of the device.
