Branded Calling ID Helps Restore Trust and Confidence in Phone Calls, Strengthens Protection against Fraud
CTIA today announced that it has signed a contract with Verizon to integrate Branded Calling ID™ (BCID) on Verizon’s wireless network, a key milestone in enhancing trust in voice calls. BCID helps consumers avoid fraud and businesses improve call answer rates by displaying brand information, including name, logo, and call purpose, from verified callers on a recipient’s smartphone screen. Led by CTIA, the wireless association, BCID is the only industry-led, standards-based solution for delivering trusted, branded calls nationwide. Research shows that 80% of Americans say they don’t generally answer their mobile phone when an unknown number calls. This means important phone calls may be missed, perhaps from a personal bank, a school, or the doctor because they often show up as unknown numbers. Delivering trusted and secure Rich Call Data (RCD) is an important step towards solving this issue, because when consumers can easily recognize known callers, they have the information they need to decide in real-time whether or not to answer.
“Branded Calling ID is Verizon’s latest step in its ongoing commitment to protect customers from unwanted calls and improve the overall voice calling experience,” said James Hammond, AVP-Product Development/Management at Verizon. “People ignore calls they don’t recognize. With tools like Branded Calling ID, we’re enhancing transparency and giving businesses another trusted way to reach their customers while giving our customers the information they need to answer calls with confidence.”
Powered by the STIR/SHAKEN framework and protocols and enabled by the most advanced security and authentication in the industry, BCID uses end-to-end cryptographically signed calls. Enterprise telephone numbers, caller display names, logos, and call reasons are thoroughly vetted by Authorized Partners to ensure caller authenticity and legitimacy. Authorized Partners are required to comply with industry-defined best practices. Working with Authorized Partners, BCID provides a key tool for enterprises and businesses that want to increase call answer rates and improve customer engagement.
“We congratulate Verizon on joining the BCID ecosystem,” said Tom Sawanobori, CTO of CTIA. “This marks an important milestone in protecting consumers and enhancing confidence in voice calls. By working together to enhance caller identification, the wireless industry can eliminate the guesswork around unknown numbers to ensure consumers continue to get the communications they want and stop bad actors in their tracks.”
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