If I Don't Own and Control My Phone Number, Who Does?  

When you sign up for phone service, your assigned number might feel like it’s yours, but technically, you are only "renting" the number from your carrier. The carrier retains what is known as the right-to-use in the central regulatory database, meaning they are the subscriber of record—not you. As a customer, you are granted temporary usage of the number while your service agreement is active, but beyond that, you hold no formal ownership or control.  

In practical terms, this means that although you can use the number to make calls, send texts, or run your business, the carrier has the ultimate control over it. You cannot manage the number independently in the regulatory system. The carrier, as the registered owner in the database, can reassign or revoke the number under certain circumstances, such as if your service ends or if the number needs to be reallocated.  

This lack of control can cause problems if you want to port your number to another carrier or ensure long-term use of it without interference. Further, without control of your number, your identity is at risk of spoofing, a form of fraud where bad actors can hijack your phone numbers and pretend to be you. True ownership and control means moving beyond "rental" status and taking complete legal and operational control of your phone number at the regulatory level.  

This article will focus on three paths to phone number ownership and control. First, for inbound calls, we will discuss how NumHub empowers you to take control of your toll-free numbers by assigning you a unique RespOrg ID. Second, NumHub is poised to bring the same regulatory advantages to local phone numbers, leveraging ALT SPIDs to deliver disaster recovery and multi-carrier routing. Third, for outbound calling, NumHub now actively participates in the Branded Caller ID (BCID) system, acting as an onboarding and vetting agent responsible for verifying a given phone number user's identity and issuing a Stir/Shaken Certificate (also known as a passport or token) for outbound calls to establish your right-to-use. This will allow brands to establish themselves as the verified phone number owner making the call and deliver their logos with a verified identity check mark on outbound calls to increase answer rates.

For Inbound Calls: Leveraging RespOrg IDs and ALT SPID

While the conversation around phone number ownership and control has historically focused on toll-free numbers, local numbers have largely been left out of the equation—until now. The regulatory framework that has allowed businesses to take authoritative ownership of toll-free numbers through the SMS/800 database has not been available for local numbers in the same way. This limitation left businesses reliant on carriers to control and route their local numbers, unable to break free and manage them independently. 

However, this is changing. NumHub has introduced a groundbreaking solution that brings the same concept of authoritative ownership to local numbers, much like what has been available for toll-free numbers. Through the NPAC (Number Portability Administration Center), which administers local numbers, NumHub enables businesses to claim complete control of their local numbers by leveraging a creative new framework. This framework allows firms to take authoritative ownership of their local numbers, giving them the similar control that toll-free number users have long enjoyed. 

This development is a game changer for businesses. With authoritative ownership and control of local numbers for inbound calls, companies can now directly manage and control their local numbers and can port, route, and secure those numbers based on their needs. By integrating our new framework into the NPAC system, NumHub offers a way for businesses to protect their local numbers from carrier disruptions and fraud, providing a new level of autonomy and security in their telecommunications strategy. 

In short, what was once only possible for toll-free numbers is now a reality for local numbers, thanks to NumHub’s innovative approach. Businesses no longer rely on carriers to control one of their most valuable assets—phone numbers. 

For Outbound Calls: Leveraging Stir/Shaken Certificates

When it comes to outbound dialing, the path to ownership and control of phone numbers takes a different form than inbound services. Instead of relying on RespOrg IDs or ALT SPID codes, businesses can establish ownership and control of their phone numbers through Stir/Shaken certificates. These certificates act as the verification mechanism that ensures the legitimacy of outbound calls, protecting against fraud, spoofing, and unverified caller identities.

NumHub takes a proactive role in this process, serving as an onboarding and vetting agent for the Branded Caller ID (BCID) ecosystem. For businesses making outbound calls, we verify your identity and right to use specific phone numbers before issuing a Stir/Shaken certificate. This certificate authenticates your business as a legitimate caller, ensuring that your outbound calls are trusted by the telecom network and consumers alike.

Stir/Shaken isn’t just a tool for compliance—it is the key to establishing real ownership and control over outbound call traffic. Once your Stir/Shaken certificate is issued, NumHub follows the call path to ensure that the "packets" containing your verified identity travel seamlessly to the terminating carrier. From there, the recipient’s device receives the authenticated call and, in many cases, can even display your business’s logo through Branded Caller ID, further increasing trust and improving call engagement.

Stir/Shaken certificates are the definitive solution for controlling your communications for businesses that rely on outbound dialing. Unlike toll-free numbers, which require a RespOrg ID for authoritative ownership, or local numbers used for inbound calls, which will soon be managed through ALT SPID codes, outbound dialing is secured and controlled via Stir/Shaken. This makes it the third path to ownership and control of phone numbers, enabling businesses to ensure their outbound calls are trusted and verified.

In summary, while inbound calling on toll-free numbers involves establishing ownership through a unique RespOrg ID (and soon, ALT SPID codes for local numbers), outbound dialing uses Stir/Shaken certificates as the mechanism for asserting control and verifying identity. By partnering with NumHub, businesses gain the tools to protect their outbound communications, increase customer trust, and fully control their phone numbers in today’s telecom environment.