With government mandates around call distribution always changing, it can be hard to keep up. As a cell service provider you have a responsibility to comply with any regulations around call origination and cell service. At Prescott-Martini, we make that easy. We are certified STIR/SHAKEN service providers for telecom and call origination companies. While STIR/SHAKEN technology is vital to success in the telecom industry, it is not entirely intuitive to implement and understand.

Our reliable team of telecom experts at Prescott-Martini have compiled all the major information you need about the STIR/SHAKEN app and how you can implement it at your telecom business.

What is STIR/SHAKEN technology?

STIR/SHAKEN is a telecom protocol required by the FCC or Federal Communications Commission encompassing congressionally mandated programs to reduce robocalling by validating every Automatic Number Identification or ANI. STIR/SHAKEN uses the insertion of digital tokens into every outbound call that helps to identify who is calling. Every telecom company and call producer within the USA terminating traffic must use verified ANIs with digital tokens attached to make calls, ensuring calls reach their dialed destinations correctly.

STIR/SHAKEN is an acronym for Secure Handling of Asserted Information using toKENs (SHAKEN)/ Secure Telephony Identity Revisited (STIR)—the technical identifier for the STIR/SHAKEN process. At its core, SHAKEN/STIR is a new type of technology standard 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.

A simple description of the STIR/SHAKEN process

STIR/SHAKEN technology is nitty gritty technical minutiae at its finest, which means it can be really hard to understand. At Prescott-Martini, we understand the importance of turning technical information into an approachable dialogue. Thus, we’ve outlined a simple guide to understanding the STIR/SHAKEN app from start to finish.

First, the call originator sends a destination number, via MySQL data link, to Prescott-Martini for Stir-Shaken treatment. Here is what happens next:

• Prescott-Martini receives the MySQL data query from you;
• We add a “verified caller-ID” from our ANI inventory (this can also be your existing ANIs that are ported to Prescott-Martini’s CLEC);
• We produce our Service Provider signature certificate that has been generated by the national STIR-SHAKEN administrator, and is accepted by every major telephone carrier in the U.S. as those carriers turn up Stir-Shaken on the termination side;
• We return the MySQL data to you, for insertion into your call SIP header. We have produced an API where you can add/edit/delete any ANI in your account.
• The destination call receiver sees a message similar to this in its caller ID screen (call from Mom). If the token is B or C level, the receiver may get a different message.

This is an outline of the main functions of the STIR/SHAKEN app. The process is vital to reducing the number of robocalls and spam calls and at Prescott-Martini, we make that mission our priority.

Levels of STIR/SHAKEN Tokens

There are actually three different levels of operating STIR/SHAKEN tokens that will be issued and inserted into the SIP header of each call. They are as follows:

• Attestation A: A trusted company that originates and terminates calls on the same network.
• Attestation B: A trusted company that originates calls on the vendor network and then terminates the call on another last-mile network.
• Attestation C: A third party entity that originates calls off-network, comes onto the vendor network, then passes the call on to another last-mile network. Nobody has any idea who the originators are, or what kind of traffic this is. This is the highly targeted traffic for STIR/SHAKEN identification as suspect calls.

If you’re ready to begin working with Prescott-Martini or have questions about our services, get in touch with us today!