Blog » How Can You Test Your Phone Number’s Attestation Rating?

December 1, 2021

How Can You Test Your Phone Number’s Attestation Rating?

Test Phone Number's Attestation Rating

Phone number attestation ratings have become increasingly important since the rollout of STIR/SHAKEN. While there is a lot of discussion on striving for an A attestation rating, calls can still connect appropriately with a B rating. So many executives and managers at businesses and call centers wonder: Why does attestation rating matter, and how can I find my attestation rating?

Attestation Rating Influences Call Analytics

While your attestation rating has no effect on already flagged numbers, it is important to ensure your calls connect. Numbers can be flagged manually by consumers using call blocking apps. This data gets aggregated with carriers to show potential spam, fraud, or other call intent labels. This type of call is stopped by the “terminating service provider.”

However, carriers are now using call analytics to determine patterns in calling activity. This can help stop unwanted calls from reaching consumers before they are reported. While this is a good concept for consumers, legitimate businesses might get caught in the middle. For example, not all service providers are using the same call analytics to determine which calls should connect and which should be terminated.

Some factors to understand in call analytics include:

  • The dialing activity of a given number. A phone call originating from a phone number that’s been given an A rating will likely reach its intended recipient with no problems. But certain call activities could be marked or suspected as spam (or even blocked) by the terminating carrier. For instance, a large number of phone calls originating from the same phone number in a small window of time can result in future calls getting blocked. School districts, unfortunately, could receive this decision due to mass texts or calls.
  • Attestation rating. With the STIR/SHAKEN protocol, all calls are at the mercy of one of three attestation levels: full, partial, or gateway. An approved service provider like Caller ID Reputation is first vetted by an STI Policy Administrator and then issued its digital certificate by the Certificate Authority.
  • The phone number’s integrity. STIR/SHAKEN’s rules and procedures enhance each call’s integrity by authenticating the caller’s origin. Caller ID information must match the information given with its digital fingerprint.

How Does Attestation Rating Affect Call Traffic?

Your attestation rating basically conveys the validity of your call. The service provider seeks to ensure that the call’s origin is coming from a legitimate network. This process helps to eliminate the nuisance of call spoofing. Since most scammers utilize call spoofing to masquerade as a legitimate organization, an attestation rating tries to prevent any unverified calls coming from unreliable networks.

Attestation ratings are broken into three categories:

  • A: Full Attestation. With Full Attestation, the service provider has authenticated that the calling entity is authorized to use the number they’ve dialed from.
  • B: Partial Attestation. Partial Attestation attests that the service provider has authenticated the customer originating the call but can’t verify if the customer is supposed to be using the number dialed from.
  • C: Gateway Attestation. With Gateway Attestation, service providers are able to authenticate a call’s origination but not its source. This type of call attestation is typically given to international calls.

While calls can still connect regardless of your attestation rating, businesses should strive to receive a Full Attestation rating. Generally, full attestation occurs when your phone numbers and service provider are within the same entity.

Again, Full Attestation, or an A rating, means that carriers:

  • Are responsible for originating calls.
  • Have pre-existing relationships with the caller and can identify and authenticate the caller.
  • Can verify the association between the caller and the number dialed from.

How Can I Find My Attestation Rating?

Caller ID Reputation offers a Call Tester service that can check your attestation rating. This feature helps your business ensure it is STIR/SHAKEN compliant. Simply select your phone number and call the number provided, and you will receive a report on call analytics that includes:

  • Attestation rating
  • CNAM
  • Certificate
  • Verstat validation

Assigning the appropriate attestation rating based on relationship isn’t as easy as you might think. For example:

  • Customers might pressure carriers into giving their organization an A rating.
  • Competitors might not have a valid system of checks and balances and just give all A’s.
  • Call centers might incorporate connectivity strategies for multiple service providers and demand ratings be A’s.

These challenges mean that if STIR/SHAKEN is to work as intended across the telecommunications landscape, you need the right solution. Caller ID Reputation can arm you with the tools necessary to strictly vet calls while still being able to maintain your workflow.

Call With Confidence With Our Call Tester

Now that you know your attestation rating, you can determine how this affects your dialing architecture. If you’re dialing at A-Attestation and abiding by proper dialing etiquette, you can call your customers with confidence. Otherwise, you can reassess your dialing procedures and improve your processes to help ensure your calls connect appropriately.

Learn how our Call Tester service can benefit your center.

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