OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Canadian Secure Token Governance Authority Inc. (CST-GA), in partnership with Neustar Information Services, Inc. (Neustar), has launched the Canadian-based infrastructure and website for eligible carriers to register and join CST-GA and to participate in the Secure Telephone Identity (STI) call authentication ecosystem using STIR/SHAKEN.
Designed to counter illegal robocalls and spoofed calls, STIR/SHAKEN is a framework of interconnected technology standards that supports authentication of incoming calls and offers a level of assurance that a call is from a legitimate source.
“The launch of the new Secure Telephone Identity infrastructure represents a major step forward in the fight to protect consumers against nuisance calls,” said Jacques Sarrazin, president and CEO of CST-GA. “Canada is the second country to deploy a national STIR/SHAKEN framework, and we are proud to have operationalized the Policy Administrator and Certification Authority roles in just three months. Successful implementation of the STI framework is an important step toward allowing Canadians to once again answer the phone without apprehension.”
“The growing problem of nuisance and fraudulent calls in recent years has destroyed consumers’ confidence in the phone channel, to the point where many people have simply stopped answering their phones,” said James Garvert, senior vice president and general manager of Caller Identification Solutions at Neustar. “Neustar is committed to tackling this scourge, and we commend CST-GA and the carriers it represents for taking action to help set the industry back on the path to restoring trust.”
The Infrastructure Is Hosted in Canada.
CST-GA is the national Governance Authority tasked with directing and overseeing the Secure Telephone Identity Policy Administrator (STI-PA) and Certification Authorities (STI-CA) in Canada. In July, the CST-GA selected Neustar as its STI-PA and as an STI-CA.
The STI infrastructure is hosted entirely in Canada, to meet CST-GA’s privacy, data security and governance requirements.
The STIR/SHAKEN Experts.
Neustar is co-author of STIR, co-contributor to SHAKEN, exclusive host of the ATIS Robocalling Testbed, and leading STIR/SHAKEN solution provider.
As STI-PA, Neustar will provide comprehensive governance solution support to CST-GA, enabling STIR/SHAKEN protocols across the Canadian telecommunications industry. As an STI-CA, Neustar will issue digital STI certificates to be used by service providers to authenticate and verify calls.
Neustar is also providing its Certified Caller STIR/SHAKEN hosted solution to multiple Canadian carriers, and is actively conducting tests with others. These carriers are made up of national and regional providers offering mobile, cable and landline networks.
Registration Is Open Now.
Canadian carriers can find information on how to become a CST-GA member at https://cstga.ca/. CST-GA membership is a prerequisite to registration with Neustar as STI-PA.
Once registered, carriers will find that Neustar’s website, canada.policyadministrator.neustar, offers a “one-stop shop” centralized resource that simplifies the STIR/SHAKEN onboarding process. After registration and testing, approved carriers can request a Service Provider Code Token, which they can use to obtain an STI certificate from an STI-CA. They can then use this certificate to authenticate caller ID, or to determine if the caller ID was spoofed and trace calls to their origin. The Canadian-based STI infrastructure also includes a hosted STI Certificate Repository to simplify approved carrier deployment and participation in the call authentication ecosystem.
Any Canadian carrier in good standing with the CRTC and with direct access to Canadian telephone numbers is eligible to become a shareholder of CST-GA and participate in the STI call authentication scheme. To join CST-GA, please visit https://cstga.ca/eligibility/.
To learn more about how regulations and standards like STIR/SHAKEN help mitigate nuisance calls and restore trust to the phone channel, Jacques Sarrazin and James Garvert will be co-presenting as keynote speakers at the virtual Canadian Telecom Summit on Nov. 19.
About CST-GA
The Canadian Secure Token Governance Authority Inc. (CST-GA) has been established by a group of Canadian telecommunications carriers in response to CRTC Compliance and Enforcement Decision 2019-403. CST-GA will oversee the development and implementation of policies to support industry protocols and operational procedures, designed to authenticate telephone calls and mitigate spoofing and illegal robocalling, generally referred to as STIR/SHAKEN. To participate in this regime, please contact https://cstga.ca/.
About Neustar
Neustar is an information services and technology company and a leader in identity resolution, providing the data and technology that enable trusted connections between companies and people at the moments that matter most. Neustar offers industry-leading solutions in marketing, risk, communications, security and registry that responsibly connect data on people, devices and locations, continuously corroborated through billions of transactions. Neustar serves more than 8,000 clients worldwide, including 60 of the Fortune 100. Learn how your company can benefit from the power of trusted connections here: https://www.home.neustar.
