While entirely important to the safety and security of our telecommunication industry in the US, STIR/SHAKEN compliance can be hard to understand. And, with government mandates around call distribution always changing, it’s essential to continue to address and readdress key questions about STIR/SHAKEN compliance.

As a telecom provider you have a legal responsibility to comply with any and all regulations around call origination and cell service. At Prescott-Martini, we make that easy. We’re a certified STIR/SHAKEN service provider for call origination and telecom companies. While STIR/SHAKEN technology is critical to thriving in the telecommunication industry, it’s not entirely intuitive to implement and understand—so we’ve answered some common industry questions we hear all the time to help clear some things up.

What is STIR/SHAKEN compliance?

STIR/SHAKEN compliance is a function of a telecom protocol required by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) that encompasses complying with congressionally mandated programs to reduce robocalling. This reduction comes from validating every Automatic Number Identification or ANI.

STIR/SHAKEN utilizes a technical process that involves the insertion of digital toKENs into every outbound call that helps to identify who is calling. Every telecommunications company and call producer within the US terminating traffic must use verified ANIs with digital toKENs attached to make calls, ensuring each call reaches its dialed destination correctly.

STIR/SHAKEN is actually an acronym for “Secure Handling of Asserted Information using toKENs (SHAKEN)/ Secure Telephony Identity Revisited (STIR)”—the technical language for the STIR/SHAKEN process. At a basic level, SHAKEN/STIR compliance is just working with government mandated protocols for technology standards developed by telecom industry experts to fight the rise in fraudulent robocalls and illegal phone number spoofing. Essentially, it’s a government mandated effort to reduce spam and robocalls for the public.

Who does STIR/SHAKEN compliance affect?

The short answer is, major telecom companies. However, in truth, STIR/SHAKEN compliance affects anyone who owns a phone and makes phone calls. Directly, the only people responsible for compliance are telecom companies and those involved in telecom security. However, STIR/SHAKEN compliance affects us all.

Think about how many times you’ve received a spam phone call. Not only are they annoying and time-wasting, but each one poses a potential security risk. Thus, whether our telecoms providers comply strictly with STIR/SHAKEN guidelines really does affect all of us. However, it’s important to note that the actual minutiae of compliance falls to the telecoms providers themselves and their security teams.

Where did STIR/SHAKEN protocols come from and when?

STIR/SHAKEN technology is relatively new. In fact, mandates in the US didn't begin to appear until the late 2010s and early 2020s. As such, it’s continually being worked on and developed further. Robocalls have become quite the epidemic in the US—rising an additional 18% year-over-year in 2019 with 26 billion robocalls being placed between January and October and a rough 5.7 billion calls in the US placed in October 2019 alone.

Thus, STIR/SHAKEN (which got its name from James Bond’s iconic drink order) was created to fulfill the need for greater call security and is still in its early days of being worked on and implemented.

Contact Our Team Today

As a major telecoms company, it’s vital to maintain STIR/SHAKEN compliance and at Prescott-Martini, we’re prepared to help you through any compliance issue. Whether you’re ready to pull the trigger or are still working on the transition, Prescott-Martini can help you prepare your system for the future.

Talk to our team today and learn just how much easier compliance is when you work with us.