Are we Ready for a Universal Registry of Known Telephone Numbers?

June 22, 2023 at 13:20 PM EDT

KYC Summit webinar panel with iconectiv’s Chris Drake explored the global telecom ecosystem use of a universal registry of Known Telephone Numbers

iconectiv:

What:	In the U.S., the FCC’s STIR/SHAKEN call authentication framework is designed to mitigate illegal robocalling. While some systems are in place to register phone numbers and give legitimate calls an A-level attestation so these calls can be properly completed, there still is no national mechanism by which all service providers could register their phone numbers.

	Similarly, on a global scale, while many countries are implementing robocall mitigation frameworks or exploring systems like STIR/SHAKEN, a universal registry of Known Telephone Numbers does not exist.

	During a SIP Forum 2023 KYC Summit webinar panel, iconectiv’s Chris Drake and other industry leaders discussed ways to add more value to the STIR/SHAKEN framework in the U.S. by deploying a national registry of Known Telephone Numbers and how that could be applied globally to support international calling. Much like the Known Traveler Numbers used by people to skip long TSA lines at the airport or global entry, a Known Telephone Number would be a vetted asset, able to provide service providers the confidence to complete a call while mitigating illegal robocalling and fraud.

	The session also explored how a call authentication framework with a Known Telephone Number concept might also be implemented on a global scale and addressed questions like:
	What are the challenges of establishing clear ownership of telephone numbers and what impact have those challenges had on STIR/SHAKEN success in the US? What are some of the factors to consider for a wider—even global—implementation? What would verified known telephone numbers look like visually for the end user? what impact have those challenges had on STIR/SHAKEN success in the US?

Who:	Moderator: Chris Drake, SVP Corporate and Business Development, iconectiv Panelists: Allyson Blevins, Senior Director Numbering Policy, Sinch Mike Rudolph, CTO, YouMail Melissa Blassingame, Senior Director Business Development, Twilio Adrian Lazar, Sr. Manager Business Assurance, T-Mobile

Where:	You can watch a replay of the Virtual – KYC Summit 2023 Webinar here A detailed webinar recap is also available here

About iconectiv

Your business and your customers need to access and exchange information simply, seamlessly and securely. iconectiv’s extensive experience in information services and its unmatched numbering intelligence helps you do just that. In fact, more than 2 billion people count on our platforms each day to keep their networks, devices and applications connected. Our cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions span network and operations management, numbering, trusted communications and fraud prevention. For more information, visit www.iconectiv.com. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About SIP Forum

The SIP Forum’s mission is to advance the adoption of products and services based on the Session Initiation Protocol and to maintain and serve a global community of commercial SIP based service and technology providers. The primary goals of the SIP Forum are to foster interoperability and adherence to standardization efforts and provide educational resources and a platform for productive communication among industry participants.

SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) has emerged as the protocol of choice for setting up audio and video conferencing, multimedia and other types of real-time communication services. SIP may also be used for new types of communications, such as instant messaging and application-level mobility across various networks, including wireless, and across user devices.

The SIP Forum believes we are in the midst of a global transition from a TDM to an IP-based network infrastructure, with an accompanying explosion of new services under development by the global community of communications service providers and by vendors of technology, solutions and systems based on SIP.