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<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
</head><body text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">My last position, before I
retired a few years back, was with a small software company right here
in Lexington that built database systems for the major phone companies
that handled the provisioning of data for Caller ID systems (among other
things). <span style="font-style: italic;">(Disclaimer: We only
provided the software, and had no involvement with content!). </span>So I
know a few things about this.<br>
<br>
Caller ID, and in particular Calling Name, is a huge muddle in the
industry right now. If we go back 20 or 30 years, to when telephony was
dominated by the landline telecom giants, Caller ID was very orderly,
and very accurate. Each of the Regional Bell Operating Companies
(RBOCs), and the largest independents, operated giant Line Information
Databases (LIDBs) that were queried by the telephone switch delivering
Caller ID information (particularly "Calling Name") to a called
subscriber. This was landline only; cell phones, at the time, had no
mechanism to deliver Calling Name. Interestingly, the phone carrier
completing a call <span style="font-style: italic;">paid</span> the
operator of the originating line's LIDB for each call's "dip" to obtain
that information. The LIDB operators could afford sizeable support
staffs to ensure the accuracy of their data.<br>
<br>
More recently the picture has become muddled:<br>
<ul>
<li>Some phone providers, particularly some VOIP providers (but also
some competitive landline carriers) don't dip the originating carrier's
LIDBs, but instead save money by obtaining Caller ID information from
competing database providers that don't charge per dip. These providers
don't get the Calling Name info from the originating carriers, but
instead compile it from other commercial sources, such as published
directory listings. Nonetheless, some of these competing database
operators claim their listings are<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>somehow<span
style="font-style: italic;"> more</span> accurate than the databases
maintained by the large telecom carriers themselves.</li>
<li>Some wireless carriers (such as Verizon) allow a subscriber to
associate Calling Name with their number, and the provision that in
LIDB. Otherwise, there is no Calling Name string associated with their numbers.<br>
</li>
<li>Some wireless carriers (AT&T used to do this; don't know if
they still do) put entire blocks of their numbers in LIDB with the
Calling Name string "Wireless Caller".</li>
<li>The giant RBOCs have lost interest in scrupulously maintaining the
accuracy of their Caller ID databases, having pared to the bone their
staff supporting that activity.</li>
<li>Wireless carriers don't dip LIDB for Calling Name. Most cell
phones will display a Calling Name if there's one in the phone's
Contacts app associated with the calling number.</li>
</ul>
More and more VOIP calls include Calling Name info provided from the <span
style="font-style: italic;">originating</span> end of the call. Some
phones and wireless carriers carry calls as VOIP (so-called "Voice over
LTE", or "VoLTE") when they can, rather than as conventional
circuit-switched calls. Combined with industry initiatives ("SHAKEN" and
"STIR") to certify call origination data, this will eventually lead to
accurate Calling Number and Calling Name information, and the
elimination of calling number spoofing. BUT, the industry has no will
and no budget, to retrofit the 1980s technology that runs the legacy
landline telephone system.<br>
<br>
All of that said, I can think of several different scenarios that could
lead to what John's observed, depending on the particulars of the
situation.<br>
<br>
I could envision a future LCTG "Potpourri" discussion on this topic, if
there's enough interest.<br>
<br>
Ken Pogran<br>
<span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br>
<span>Ted Kochanski wrote on 8/24/22 9:53 AM:</span><br>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:CAPj-+DF29cf=6XaGy4vvpYEApD+u4uTsKHsheqJ6zVOdqTcoyA@mail.gmail.com">
<div dir="ltr">John, et al<div><br></div><div>There are at least two
possible elements involved in the "Name" associated with a phone number
on a received call</div><div><br></div><div>Phone calls have associated
with the call Metadata which is broadcast by the call originator's phone</div><div>Phone
systems transport the metadata to the receiving phone -- although the
phone system operators such as Verizon may offer the originator the
ability to block the data from being transmitted for a fee</div><div>the
originator can use these two to Spoof where a call has originated from
-- -- that is why some Spam call seem to come from your own phone or a
phone in the neighborhood</div><div><br></div><div> Most home phones
and/or phone systems often used to provide local wireless service with
"landlines" have their own database of call data -- sometimes this is
what is sent and received over the POTS network and sometimes this is
something entered into locally by the operator of the local phone system
-- such as "my friend sam's cell"</div><div><br></div><div>The source
of your problem could be the network -- most likely it is the phone
receiving the data and associating the name</div><div><br></div><div>Hope
that helps</div><div><br></div><div>Ted</div><div><br></div></div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Aug
23, 2022 at 9:48 PM john rudy <<a href="mailto:jjrudy1@comcast.net"
moz-do-not-send="true">jjrudy1@comcast.net</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote
class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px
solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div
class="msg8147428104566380903"><div style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"
lang="EN-US"><div class="gmail-m_8147428104566380903WordSection1"><p
class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">I
have a cell phone with the number 781-718-8334. When I have called my
cousin’s home and Cynthia’s two home lines their phones say Karen
Roberts with my correct phone number. When I call their cell phones the
name comes up correctly.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> </span></p><p
class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Any ideas? I’m
happy to do more experimenting, preferably where someone has both a cell
and landline. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">I have no idea who
Karen Roberts is or why that name should be associated with my cell
phone.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> </span></p><p
class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">When I call from my
landline I have no problems.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">John</span></p><p
class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span></p></div></div></div></blockquote></div>
</blockquote>
<br>
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