Jimmy Buffet Wants Fruitcake, Customers want CNAM

Jimmy Buffet wants his fruitcake, and customers want their CNAM!

How CNAM DIP compensation works? What is this thing called "DIP" that telecommunications providers discuss?

It is where telecom companies exchange caller ID information in relation to the associated phone number (DID, or direct inward dialing). How does this work? It provides the "calling name" and call number, visible on a hard phone LCD or soft phone display, to caller ID subscribers. Each incoming call you receive on your phone number that supports caller ID... the local phone company who is receiving the call (your phone company) compensates the phone company that the call originated from for what service? Providing them with CNAM which is caller name.

Each of these CNAM “DIP” transactions is fee-based. Each time you “DIP” into the database, the originating telecom is compensated. So if Company A's customer dials 1-850-432-7411, then the Company B who provides 1-850-432-7411 has to pay Company A a fee for each call.

Having CNAM helps you and me to get the person who could answer the call to do exactly that, answer it!!!! It basically correctly sets caller ID to city and state.

For every Tom, Dick and Harry, you and me ... we have experienced anger or distrust when we see "unknown," "private," or some other nondescript caller ID when someone calls us.

There is another side to this issue. Some carriers take longer to recognize caller ID changes from other carriers, and so do not DIP right away. Why would they do this? The rumor is that they are prolonging the amount of time before they have to start paying CNAM fees for that phone number. Meanwhile, the owner of the phone number is angry because they WANT THEIR CNAM! The phone number owner (the end user) is angry with his provider. It makes a very stressful world until resolved.

Written by Suzanne Bowen, VP Super Technologies, Inc., DIDX


... Are you an IP communications related entrepreneur, telco of any type, wired or wireless, contact center, social or business community portal provider, conference producer and such? If not, find out how to get your telephone company to offer phone numbers from around the world. Follow DIDX on Twitter. Join the networking group on Facebook. Link with the DIDX team on Linkedin business networks. Check the events that DIDX sponsors. Consult the DIDX knowledge base.