LAS VEGAS, Oct. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Orion, Transaction Network Services (TNS), and TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) today announced the availability of branded calling with logos across the top three U.S. wireless carriers. The partnership ensures branded calls with rich content are verified with end-to-end authentication, providing a secure method to help prevent call spoofing. With the addition of logo delivery to the portfolio of rich content, the partnership expects a continued increase in secure branded calling adoption before the end of 2024.

In a joint statement at Mobile World Congress, the companies said, “Despite the many digital communication channels available, the phone call is the preferred channel for addressing personal, complex, and high-value business situations. Companies must consider leveraging the benefits of authenticated branded calling to build long-term brand affinity and improve engagement. This becomes even more vital to financial service firms that have experienced a dramatic uptick in fraudulent activity, which can negatively impact their brand and customers.”

Branded calling enables enterprises to add rich content to the mobile display, including name, number, and now, logo, along with a secure end-to-end authentication and verification framework, to ensure calls are not spoofed. The solution is essential for promoting businesses, establishing consumer trust, and increasing engagement while protecting brands and consumers from fraud.

After two years of close collaboration, the partnership continues to advance innovation and adoption, most recently achieving industry milestones, including:

• Branded calling adoption by more than 4,500 U.S. businesses, including 15 percent of Fortune 500 companies
• Delivering more than 3.7 billion branded calls this year, on track to reach five billion by the end of 2024
• Shared network coverage, including more than 300 million consumers
• Registering more than 250,000 businesses and 22 million phone numbers

According to Juniper Research, robocall scams could cost consumers $73 billion this year, and “the implementation of frameworks such as STIR/SHAKEN, and mass rollout of branded calling solutions, are expected to significantly impact criminals' operations.” Already working in lockstep with this guidance, the partnership is responsible for establishing the industry standards that helped introduce branded calling to the U.S. marketplace.

With the addition of logos and nationwide coverage across the top three wireless carriers in the U.S., a mass branded calling rollout is already underway, with expectations to continue to reach more businesses and consumers over time.

About First Orion
Since 2008, First Orion has transformed the phone call experience for businesses, carriers and consumers through its industry-leading communication branding and protection solutions. As the market leader in branded calling, First Orion is a trusted partner to Fortune 500 companies and the largest U.S. mobile carriers. The global telecommunications solutions provider helps businesses generate more revenue, increase efficiency, and improve the customer experience by empowering them to brand their phone calls with their name, logo and reason for calling. First Orion also provides the industry’s most secure calling experience and best-in-class analytics for call program optimization. For more information, visit firstorion.com.

About Transaction Network Services (TNS)
TNS, a market leader in call identification and robocall mitigation, provides an end-to-end ecosystem for protecting and restoring trust in voice calling. TNS addresses the full needs of wireless and wireline operators globally with TNS Call Guardian^®, the industry-leading call analytics solution that protects subscribers from high risk and nuisance robocalls. In addition, its Enterprise product suite, including TNS Enterprise Authentication and Spoof Protection and TNS Enterprise Branded Calling, is taking the next step in enriching consumer engagement, making the voice channel an integral part of an omnichannel customer experience program. TNS analyzes over 1.5 billion call events across more than 500 operators every single day, enabling enterprises to protect their brand and consumers, and carriers to identify more unwanted robocalls. For additional information visit: https://tnsi.com/resource-center/communications/.

About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)
TransUnion is a global information and insights company with over 13,000 associates operating in more than 30 countries. We make trust possible by ensuring each person is reliably represented in the marketplace. We do this with a Tru™ picture of each person: an actionable view of consumers, stewarded with care. Through our acquisitions and technology investments we have developed innovative solutions that extend beyond our strong foundation in core credit into areas such as marketing, fraud, risk and advanced analytics. As a result, consumers and businesses can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good^® — and it leads to economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for millions of people around the world. http://www.transunion.com/business

Learn more about TransUnion Branded Call Display (BCD).

Media/PR Contacts:

First Orion Media Relations
Lucie Pathmann
Lpathmann@firstorion.com
501-772-6108

TNS Media Relations
Brian Lustig
202-836-9112
tns@bluetext.com 

TransUnion Media Relations
Dave Blumberg
david.blumberg@transunion.com
312-972-6646