Posted on: 3rd October 2024, by Magrathea
Good afternoon and welcome to the October newsletter, combining news from Magrathea and around the industry.
What’s included
- Preparing for CLI changes
- Service Spotlight: Client VPN for VoIP
- Critical National Infrastructure status for datacentres
- French carriers firm up caller ID monitoring
- Article: Ofcom’s Resilience and Security Guidance
- Events: CCUK Awards and CCUK Women in Telecoms
Preparing for CLI changes
In preparation for the revised General Conditions coming into force in January 2025, we are starting to plan the roll out of enhanced CLI checks across our network to include presentation CLI. We will share more detailed on the timeframe in due course but it would be sensible to start preparing now for the introduction of the additional checks.
The GCs require providers to identify and block calls with CLI data that is invalid, does not uniquely identify the caller, or does not contain a number that is dialable. Furthermore, we are required to:
- Only allow UK CLI which is a 10- or 11-digit number (i.e. a valid number)
- make use of information that identifies numbers which should not be used as CLI
- identify calls originating abroad that do not have valid CLI and block them
- identify and block calls from abroad spoofing UK CLI
- prohibit the use of 09 non-geographic numbers as CLI
All of this is in place already for network CLI, but the updated rules require us to block any calls that originate from outside the UK but have a UK presentation CLI. There are some exceptions, such as when a customer is legitimately placing calls from abroad whilst representing a UK company and our existing exception tools will be expanded to manage these use cases.
We will soon be engaging directly with any clients that are currently sending traffic that might be impacted so we can ensure there is minimal disruption when the changes go live in our network. Meanwhile, if you have any concerns or know you have a valid exception case please do get in touch.
Service Spotlight: Client VPN for VoIP
Magrathea offer Virtual Private Network (VPN) connectivity to clients, comprising of two dedicated client facing VPN routers with geographic diversity. Traffic exchanged on this solution is encrypted to help clients meet their security requirements.
For more information about this service please visit The Guide (within our MAGIC Portal) or ask our support team for details.
Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) Status for Datacentres
National Infrastructure includes facilities, people etc. that are necessary for the country to function and upon which daily life depends – such as water and energy services. It also covers some additional services that need protection due to their potential danger to the public (e.g. chemical sites).
Datacentres have now joined the 13 other sectors listed as CNI meaning they can now expect greater government support in the event of incidents. For the full press release visit here. With the latest Ofcom resilience guidance requiring five days of power back-up, it’s reassuring to know our datacentres are given appropriate status to support our infrastructure.
French carriers firm up caller ID monitoring
Effective from 1st October all calls terminating in France must be authenticated – that is, signed and given an attestation level, based on the originating caller ID and the carrier’s relationship with the calling party.
This effort to address illegal robocalling follows interventions first introduced in 2010 in which calls originating from outside of France presenting a French CLI would automatically be blocked.
If you are eligible to pass any traffic to France, presenting a French CLI, you must ensure that the CLI used is authentic and that the end user is assigned the number or has consent to use it.
Article: Ofcom’s Resilience and Security Guidance
This month we have been reviewing the latest guidance released by Ofcom (see here). There are plenty of sensible suggestions in here to help providers comply with their legal obligations but, in our opinion, there are also a few things that go a step further than is necessary and in fact create uncertainty and potentially do harm to our sector.
We have written an article here explaining our concerns and will update our clients with the outcome of our interaction with Ofcom on this topic. Meanwhile, if you would like to discuss any of the topics mentioned in our article please do get in touch. We will be making our client guide to resilience available via The Guide very soon.
Sponsored events and other outings
The 16th CCUK Awards took place last week at the IET at Savoy Place in London. This stunning venue was the perfect backdrop for a very enjoyable event.
We have sponsored this event every year since its inception as we recognise how important it is to have a space to celebrate the achievements of some truly innovative services and features. We know how hard the entrants have to work to get shortlisted and so winning here is something to be truly proud of.
This year we were delighted to present the Best Comms Application award to PolyAI and our MD, Tracey Wright, was surprised and delighted to receive the Outstanding Achievement Award, alongside Katie Baron, for their work establishing the CCUK Women in Telecoms group.
Tracey told us “This really is an honour and comes in a year that has been quite remarkable for me professionally. From moderating my first panel sessions to being accepted as a Fellow of the Institute of Telecoms Professionals, and now this award to recognise the achievement of co-founding a much-needed Women in Telecoms group, it’s been a constant push beyond my comfort zone but extremely rewarding”. She went on to say “Of course I’m only able to achieve these things because I’m surrounded by so many brilliant and supportive people and I hope through my association with ITP and CCUK I can start to give more back to those building a career in this industry.”
Our next event is the CCUK Women in Telecoms two-year anniversary celebrations, kindly hosted by 8×8. We, along with Sangoma, Vorboss and LANtern Tech, are sponsoring the drinks and will be forming a panel on the day to discuss a variety of diversity related issues. The event is open to anyone with an interest in the topic, not only women. If you would like to come along, please get in touch with Comms Council UK for a free ticket.
What’s on our minds…
Many of our clients will remember Daisy Barrett, previously our porting team leader, who left us to start a family a few years ago. We were lucky enough to have Daisy return to provide maternity cover for us this last few months and, now that her daughter is a bit older, we are delighted to tell you that she has agreed to remain with us on a permanent basis.
Daisy will be working part-time to enable her to balance her family life with work and continues to be an invaluable member of the porting team, led by Bridie, bringing with her years of porting knowledge and experience.
And finally, we would love to hear from you and understand what topics you would like us to cover and what information you would like to see in our newsletter. If you have any feedback or specific areas you feel we should cover in more detail – please email us info@magrathea-telecom.co.uk
Kind regards
Client Focus Team, Magrathea
The information contained in this guidance is for your information only and is not intended to be relied on. It does not constitute legal professional advice, nor is it a substitute for you obtaining your own legal professional advice. Magrathea accepts no liability whatsoever for any errors, omissions or statements in this guidance or for any loss which may arise from your use of this guidance.