DT deploys branded calling

• Many people are not answering voice calls due to caution over spam communications
• Branded calling solutions help verify business callers and provide context for consumers
• Deutsche Telekom is activating branded calling for its mobile customers in Germany and has teamed up with a vendor partner to offer a branded calling solution to enterprises

As spam call volumes continue to grow and lead to an erosion in voice communications trust, Deutsche Telekom has joined the growing number of telcos deploying branded calling solutions that help customers to identify who is phoning them. 

The German operator is the latest telco to team up with Seattle-based “trusted voice” system developer Hiya, which already has multiple engagements with service providers, such as Spain’s MásOrange, Norway’s Telenor and the UK’s BT Group and Virgin Media O2 (VMO2), for its spam identification platform and Bell Canada for its branded calling solution. The company develops and enhances its solutions by analysing more than 260 billion calls annually, giving it what it claims is “unmatched insight into calling behaviour and trust signals across live mobile networks worldwide”.  

With branded calling, “customers see who’s calling and why, before they answer,” noted Hiya in this announcement. “Legitimate business calls are no longer just a number on a screen but a recognisable, trustworthy interaction, making it easier for people to decide what’s worth answering in the moment.”

According to Hiya, the partnership with Deutsche Telekom will make branded calling available to all of the operator’s mobile subscribers in Germany without customers needing to download any software or add an app. The Hiya solution will bring “verified identity and clear context to incoming business calls across Germany, helping both consumers and businesses reconnect with confidence in an environment where 80% of unidentified phone calls are ignored before they are answered,” the vendor noted. 

Marcus Rügge, VP of mobile services at Deutsche Telekom, said the telco “is making communication safer and more trustworthy. With branded calls, we protect customers from unwanted calls by verifying each call and clearly identifying it as a branded call. This builds trust in telephone-based customer interactions and delivers real value for business customers through improved reachability and increased attention.” 

That isn’t DT’s only new branded calling tech partnership. The German giant has also struck a “go-to-market collaboration” with First Orion, based in North Little Rock, Arizona, to offer the telecom technology company’s Inform branded calling system to its enterprise customers in Germany, enabling those businesses to “display a verified brand identity directly on a customer’s mobile device when placing calls over Deutsche Telekom’s network”.

Rügge noted in this announcement: “With branded calling, we create greater trust in telephone customer interactions and deliver real added value to our business customers through better reachability and increased attention. Together, we are now bringing this solution to the German market, fully integrated into the strong network of Deutsche Telekom.” 

The German operator is adopting branded calling just as the market for such services and capabilities is expected to grow significantly. According to Juniper Research, branded calling systems will verify more than 90 billion calls globally per year by 2030, up from fewer than 10 billion in 2025. 

Sam Barker, VP of telecoms at Juniper Research, noted in this announcement from last year: “This substantial growth of 870% over the next five years will be driven by rising enterprise adoption of branded calling solutions, even as global voice traffic declines. To maximise value, vendors have a strategic opportunity to integrate verification frameworks into other telecom channels, such as RCS (rich communication services).”

- Ray Le Maistre, Editorial Director, TelecomTV