STIR/SHAKEN is Shaking Up the Industry
Could Stir/Shaken be the latest James Bond-inspired beverage? Not in the telephony world. These FCC call handling protocols are serious business. This new authentication framework is designed to reduce fraudulent robocalls and illegal number spoofing. In our industry where call traffic is our livelihood, Inventive Labs is ready to help your company understand and navigate these new calling protocols.
STIR – Secure Telephony Identity Revisited
SHAKEN – Secure Handling of Asserted information using toKENs
We are STI-GA and STI-PA Certified
Voice Elements powered by Inventive Labs is a certified Communications Service Provider authorized to sign outbound calls with an appropriate attestation level.
STIR defines how the protocol could be implemented, while SHAKEN documents how the protocol will be implemented. Used together, the originating and terminating service providers work in tandem to deliver valid calls.
ATIS explains, “When you make a call, your phone carrier will use your identifying number to create a digital signature, or token, that will accompany the call as it is being completed. At the other end, the system verifies that nothing was tampered with, ensuring that the call came from someone with a legitimate right to use that number.” [ATIS STI-GA, Governing Authority for STIR/SHAKEN, SHAKEN: Frequently Asked Questions]
STIR/SHAKEN: What You Need To Know
What Happens to Calls I Place?
Inventive Labs will assign call attestation to every Voice Elements outbound call and pass this to the carrier in the SIP Identity Header. ATIS Standards determine how we must assign the attestation as described in this table:
| Attestation Level | Industry (ATIS) Standard | How Inventive Labs Assigns Attestation |
| Full or “A” | The service provider knows the customer and their right to use the phone number. | You are an Inventive Labs Voice Elements customer and your outbound caller ID is a number in your Voice Elements account or you have documented with our team your right to use that caller ID. |
| Partial or “B” | The service provider knows the customer, but not the source of the phone number. | You are a Voice Elements customer using another provider’s phone number. |
| Gateway or “C” | The service provider has originated the call onto the network but can’t authenticate the call source. | We do not handle transient PSTN traffic. We currently do not assign this attestation level. |
How Can My Calls Always Get an “A” Attestation?
To achieve this goal, here are some tips:
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- Provision your numbers through your Inventive Labs Voice Elements account.
- Port your numbers to Inventive Labs.
- Identify any caller IDs you use on outbound calls that are not phone numbers in your Inventive Labs account. Contact us to explain and document your right to use those numbers.
Our Goals
We are working hard to ensure that the calls you place are delivered and that your phone services with Inventive Labs are a trusted communication channel for you and your customers.
According to YouMail telecom data, approximately 60% of all calls placed in the US are legitimate. Your customers value and rely on the voice services you provide.
Source: RobocallIndex.com
We want you to have confidence that your calls will successfully reach your customers.
Partnering with Inventive Labs
Your customers are more likely to answer calls from a trusted source. STIR/SHAKEN is intended to restore consumer trust in voice communications. At Inventive Labs, we are committed to making sure that legitimate calls reach your customer while preventing scams and illegal robocalling.
‘Know Your Customer’ Initiative
Our Know Your Customer Initiative is a key component of our Robocall Mitigation Plan and will help us understand your goals. We will be contacting our customers who place outbound calls on our network to review call history and expected attestation level. We can help you identify ways to improve your calling paradigm.
Voice Elements is powerfully designed to meet all of your telephony needs. Let us know what else we can do for you!
Questions?
Please feel free to let us know your questions or concerns at any time. We understand that reaching your customers is critical to your business. We are here to help you navigate this new territory. Let’s talk!
