Is Verizon Too Late? Calling Id Feature Arrives After Rivals

When you get a call, it has to go through your telecommunications provider first. This means that carriers such as Verizon have the potential ability to help users screen calls, especially if there is potential that a scam could be taking place. The good news is that Verizon has listened and it is now implementing a new Calling ID system .

Verizon introduces Calling ID system

In a press release by CTIA, the company has announced that it has signed a contract with Verizon to provide the carrier with Branded Calling ID services. What does this mean? This means that when you receive a call from an unknown number, instead of the number just showing up, it will display pertinent information like the name, logo, and call purpose.

This means that if a company is trying to reach out to you legitimately, you will know. This is versus scam calls where the scammer could buy a burner phone and scam you by claiming to be from your bank. We would like to think that most people are more aware of these types of calls these days. However, it never pays to be too safe.

CTIA says that its Branded Calling ID uses end-to-end cryptographically signed calls. Phone numbers originating from enterprises are vetted by the company’s Authorized Partners. This helps to ensure the caller’s legitimacy and authenticity. If you’ve ever used apps like Truecaller, conceptually (but not technically) it’s the same thing.

Is Verizon too late to the party?

Now, it sounds like Verizon is doing a good thing by introducing Calling ID. However, the problem is that Verizon might be a bit late to the party. The carrier’s competitors such as T-Mobile and AT&T have introduced similar features already. AT&T launched its own branded calling ID feature with TransUnion last year. T-Mobile, the carrier that everyone seems to love to hate these days, launched their own partnership with CTIA back in 2022.

We suppose it’s better late than never, but we have to wonder why it took Verizon this long. Especially when its competitors had no issue implementing a similar system before them.