Comcast said it has partnered with AT&T to successfully test a solution to stop robocalling between various landline services.
Calling it a “milestone” and “the nation’s first,” Comcast said the test for authenticating calls between voice providers could result in the the operator beginning to offer authentication on calls between networks to customers later this year.
According to Comcast, the tests were not conducted in a lab. They used phones on the two companies’ consumer networks—Comcast’s Xfinity Voice and AT&T Phone. Calls were successfully authenticated and verified using the SHAKEN/STIR protocol, a tool for combatting robocalls.
Developed in collaboration with Comcast and AT&T, SHAKEN/STIR verification lets consumers know that an incoming call is actually coming from a number in their caller ID display.
Over the coming months, Comcast said, the test will expand to the major service providers.
According to a report issued in January by Hiya, there were an estimated 26.3 billion robocalls in the U.S. in 2017, up 46% from 2017.
AT&T and Comcast jointly chair the working group developing the technical standards for SHAKEN/STIR. AT&T holds the chairmanship of the industry board overseeing the SHAKEN/STIR effort and Comcast is a member of that board.
