Ofcom published a policy statement announcing its intention to proceed with the proposal to update the CLI Guidance to extend blocking to international calls which display a UK number as a Presentation Number. Ofcom consulted on this proposal between February 2024 and March 2024, to which Comms Council UK submitted a response to here. CCUK has also been working with Ofcom alongside the consultation to clarify different use cases.
Under the updated CLI Guidance, Ofcom will be introducing the following changes:
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Calls from outside the UK should not use UK CLI as a Network Number or as a Presentation Number, except in the limited number of use cases identified below.
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Calls from outside the UK can present a UK CLI as a Network Number in the following situations:
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UK mobile users roaming overseas making calls back to UK numbers (calls with a CLI from the +447 range).
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Calls to a mobile user who is roaming in the UK.
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Where the CP can demonstrate the traffic has originated on a UK network.
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Where the CP can demonstrate the call is being made by a UK customer but has originated on a non-UK network (which includes traffic hosted on nodes or cloud services outside the UK)
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Calls from outside the UK can present a UK CLI as a Presentation Number in the following situation:
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Where the CP can demonstrate the call is being made by a UK customer but has originated on a non-UK network (which includes traffic hosted on nodes or cloud services outside the UK).
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The updated CLI Guidance will come into effect from 29 January 2025, so providers have been given six months to implement the changes.
Alongside the updated CLI Guidance, Ofcom also published the following consultations seeking views on the effectiveness, costs, risks and timescales of different technical solutions to tackle scam calls from abroad which spoof UK mobile numbers:
CCUK will be considering a response to these calls for inputs; do let us know if you have any feedback you would like to contribute.
From Comms Council UK’s consultation response submitted earlier this year, the following responses were acknowledged in Ofcom’s final statement:
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CCUK agreed with the overall approach of expecting providers to block calls from abroad using UK CLI.
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CCUK recognised the consumer benefits of the proposal and agreed that Ofcom’s interventions will limit the impact of scams, and also highlighted a growing lack of trust in using the telephone.
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CCUK raised concerns that depending on where an operator sits in the value chain, the impact of Ofcom’s proposals could be disproportionately large, as our members are faced with technical challenges that could result in the loss of legitimate business or the inadvertent blocking of genuine calls. CCUK also requested Ofcom to make available research establishing the likely cost and impact of the proposals, particularly on cloud providers.
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Regarding the impact on cloud providers, Ofcom noted that it remained of the view that the impact is limited on cloud and other alternative voice providers.
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CCUK highlighted that there is a huge complexity in the market and changing the guidance could be a huge cost to the end consumer or service providers. CCUK also raised concerns about the impact on call centres providing services to smaller UK businesses and those using cloud services.
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Ofcom responded that it recognised the rules may entail an incremental cost that could be passed on to end customers, but that the timeframes allow sufficient time for different kinds of businesses to make necessary changes. Ofcom also responded that blocking of legitimate calls will not occur where providers and businesses route their calls appropriately to comply with the legitimate use cases.
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CCUK said that a longer implementation period of 12 months was required, as six months does not account for certain use cases and may lead to the blocking of legitimate calls, and that for providers relying on third parties to manage switching equipment, requests to modify CLI management can take time to schedule. Many providers are also currently consumed with trying to deliver gaining provider-led switching, VoIP migration and addressesing Telecoms Security Act compliance measures, so they do not have the resources to quickly divert to this issue.
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Ofcom responded that the updated CLI Guidance is a small change for providers that will deliver tangible protections for consumers. Ofcom also responded that the changes identified have not all been mandated by Ofcom, or have different implementation deadlines.
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Ofcom will be conducting a stakeholder engagement programme over the coming months, particularly focused on smaller providers and call centre end users who may be affected.
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