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The History and Evolution of Caller ID
January 24, 2023 at 8:00 AM
<strong>The History and Evolution of Caller ID</strong>

Caller ID has become a staple of modern communication, but it wasn't always that way. This technology has come a long way since its introduction in the late 1970s, and it's still evolving today. In this blog post, we'll look at the history of Caller ID from its humble beginnings to its current sophisticated form. We'll also discuss why STIR / SHAKEN technology is essential for protecting consumers from malicious caller activity and identity theft.

The Origins of Caller ID

The first known reference to the idea of displaying caller information on call receivers' phones was made in 1967 by AT&T Bell Labs engineer Amos E. Joel Jr. He proposed that telephone companies create a system that would allow people to identify who was calling them before they answered the phone. It took more than 10 years for this concept to become reality; in 1978, AT&T introduced the Caller Identification Service (CIDS), which allowed customers with compatible phones to see who was calling them before they answered. This service eventually became known as “Caller ID” or “Caller Identification” (CID).

In 1986, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandated that all telephone providers offer CID functionality on their networks so that subscribers could have access to this useful feature regardless of their phone company. By 1991, CID had become widely adopted and over 20 million households were using it on their landlines. However, due to privacy concerns regarding unlisted numbers, several states passed laws requiring phone companies to offer blocking services as well so that users could prevent their numbers from being displayed when they called other people's phones.

The Modern Era of Caller ID

Today, most landlines and mobile phones have some form of CID built-in as standard equipment and the feature is used by millions around the world every day. There are even apps available for smartphones that allow users to identify unknown numbers without having to answer calls from them. Additionally, many phone companies now offer enhanced CID services such as name display (which displays the name associated with a particular number) and automatic call blocking (which allows users to block incoming calls from certain numbers).

What Is STIR/SHAKEN?

At Prescott-Martini we believe in protecting our customers from malicious caller activity with STIR/SHAKEN technology solutions. STIR/SHAKEN stands for Secure Telephone Identity Revisited/Signature-based Handling of Asserted Information Using Tokens Exchange Network Standard and is an industry initiative designed to combat robocalls and caller identity fraud by verifying caller identities based on digital signatures created by participating telecom carriers across different networks.

The technology works by creating digital certificates for each caller which are then used by receiving carriers to verify whether or not an incoming call is actually coming from where it claims to be coming from before routing it through their network or rejecting it outright as a fraudulent or suspicious activity because if it fails verification tests. By using STIR/SHAKEN technology solutions provided by Prescott-Martini, our customers can rest assured knowing that they are protected against malicious callers looking to exploit them for personal gain or financial loss!

Get in touch with Prescott-Martini to learn more about STIR/SHAKEN technology!

It's amazing how far telephone technology has come since its inception over 150 years ago! From basic voice calls between two parties over analog lines, we've now moved into an era where our phones can detect who is calling us before we even pick up! The evolution of Caller ID has been fascinating—from its birth at AT&T Bell Labs in 1967 all the way up until today—and we can expect more changes as advanced technologies continue to develop in this area going forward!

At Prescott-Martini, we're proud to provide our customers with reliable STIR/SHAKEN national solutions, so they can rest assured knowing that their communication will remain secure against malicious actors looking to exploit them financially or otherwise!

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