The beginning of the end of spam calls with the CRTC’s new Universal Call Blocking regulations
It has been a few months now that many of us have been receiving annoying spam calls for services that we clearly do not need. The CRTC has recently mandated all Canadian telecommunication companies, including IP4B, to put in place universal call blocking. Assuredly, this is a very good beginning of the end of spam calls.
Note, however, that some organizations may need to update their phone system in order to comply with the CRTC order. Explanations.
The CRTC Regulations
Starting November 2019, according to new regulation requirements from the CRTC, calls from your organization may be blocked without notice if they are made with a calling number that does not conform to the North American Numbering Plan. This CRTC requirement stems from the fact that many nuisance calls are issued from non-conforming numbers including potential fraud calls.
Universal Call Blocking will affect customers whose calls are made with a non-conforming calling number. A non-conforming calling number is one that (i) exceeds 10 digits, or (ii) is malformed and does not conform to a dialable number for calls initiated under the North American Numbering Plan. Please note that non-conforming calls may also be blocked to your local Enhanced VOIP 911 service center.
Many calls with non-conforming numbers are nuisance calls originating overseas. However, some may be originated by organizations with PBXs who have decided to insert a special number that has meaning to the called party or to hide the caller’s real number. Others may be inserted into certain call types by carriers in lieu of an actual number. Therefore, any organizations that set their own calling numbers should ensure that their numbers conform with the North American Numbering Plan (using active, assigned NPA and NXX codes).
The Impact of Universal Call Blocking for IP4B Customers
Note that IP4B hosted customers have always been compliant with the required norms and regulations and that no actions are required in such cases. Also, if you are using traditional lines like analog (copper) or digital (PRI), this situation does not apply to you.
Only customers using their own PBX phone systems may be affected by these changes. If this is your case, we suggest that you share this letter internally with your technical teams.
Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact our customer care service. We also invite you to contact one of our senior advisors in order to have an honest discussion about hosted unified communications solutions.