BT Group and EE Select Hiya Protect for Spam and Fraud Call Protection in the UK

• BT Group and EE become the first telecom provider in the UK to offer Hiya’s call protection and identity to mobile and Digital Voice home phone customers
• The Hiya Voice Security Network now protects one out of every three subscribers in the UK
• EE is the first global carrier to take advantage of the Hiya and Ericsson partnership to quickly and easily activate Hiya Protect

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hiya, the leading voice security company, today announced a new agreement with the BT Group to provide the industry’s leading call protection service, Hiya Protect, for BT and EE users. EE is the first major carrier to select and implement Hiya Protect in conjunction with Ericsson since the companies announced their integration partnership.

Spam and fraud calls are on the rise in the UK. According to Hiya’s latest research, 29% of all calls in the UK are spam and 50% of those are fraud calls – representing the highest fraud rate across Europe. As a result of this growing problem, it's becoming harder for consumers to get the calls they want to receive.

“EE has led the way against fraud since we launched our text anti-spam filter in 2021, blocking over 200 million scam texts in the first 12 months,” said Christian Thrane, MD for Marketing at BT and EE. “Partnering with Hiya is the next step in our strategic commitment to protect our customers against fraud. Using Hiya’s call labeling technology alongside our existing innovations, gives our mobile and Digital Voice home phone customers extra reassurance when answering their phone.”

EE, part of BT Group, has more than 3,000 security specialists dedicated to keeping its network and customers safe from cyber-attacks. In addition, the operator uses AI firewall technology to review international calls to help block up to one million international scam calls each day.

EE has joined the ranks of other leading European carriers like MasMovil and Telenor that use Hiya to protect their subscribers from spam and fraud calls. Consumers that use Hiya Protect either through their telecommunications provider, Samsung Galaxy devices, or the Hiya App, are the most protected consumers anywhere on the voice network. The addition of BT and EE expands Hiya's global reach to over 250 million users.

“Telecommunication carriers around the world are challenged to build trust for voice calls. The need to eradicate fraudulent calls, clearly label nuisance calls, and provide better labeling of unidentified calls outside of the address book has never been greater,” said Hiya President Kush Parikh. “Consumers deserve certainty in knowing who is on the other line when they pick up the phone. BT and EE are leading the way in the U.K. by implementing the most advanced voice security platform to fight the growing problem of spam and fraud calls, while helping legitimate calls get through.”

Hiya is simple to implement thanks to direct integration with industry-leading network infrastructure providers, like Ericsson, used by the world’s largest carriers. Carriers that choose Hiya Protect for spam and fraud call protection report fewer customer complaints, increased brand reputation, and improved customer satisfaction and overall NPS. Powered by AI technology that allows carriers to recognize and stop new and emerging scams in real-time to stay a step ahead of fraudsters, Hiya Protect satisfies regulatory requirements and exceeds carrier demands for subscriber voice call protection.

To learn more about Hiya Protect and how it can help protect your subscribers from spam and fraud, visit https://www.hiya.com/products/protect.

About Hiya

Hiya is trusted by global businesses, carriers, and consumers to provide secure, engaging connections and stop unwanted calls. Built on the world’s leading Voice Security Platform, Hiya connects businesses with their customers, helps carriers secure their networks, and protects people from spam and fraud calls. Hiya’s SaaS applications, Hiya Connect and Hiya Protect, serve more than 250 million users on the Hiya Network, powering call protection and identity for AT&T, EE, Samsung, Ericsson and more. Learn more at www.hiya.com.

About EE

EE runs the UK's biggest and fastest mobile network, offering superfast connections in more places than any other operator. EE brought the first 4G network to the UK in October 2012 and launched the UK’s first 5G network in May 2019.

EE has received extensive independent recognition, including being named the UK’s no.1 5G network by RootMetrics® in 2020 and being named the UK's best network every year since 2014 for the following awards: The Mobile Choice Awards, The Mobile Industry Awards and by RootMetrics®.

As well as offering mobile services to consumers and small and medium businesses, EE also provides home and business broadband using both 4G and fixed line connections.

EE is committed to being number one for service in the industry and has nearly 600 shops across the UK. EE remains the only mobile provider to answer 100% of customer calls in the UK and Ireland and was recognised as the UK’s Best Large Contact Centre by the UK Customer Experience Awards 2018 and Welsh Contact Centre Awards 2019. EE was awarded The Sunday Times’ Best 100 Companies to Work for in 2018 and 2019, as well as being named Best Employer 2018 by the European Contact Centre & Customer Service awards.

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