Starting November 2019, carriers began the implementation of Universal Call Blocking (UCB). The CRTC has mandated Carriers implement UCB or Call Filtering. The aim of UCB and Call Filtering is to reduce the number of nuisance calls.
Overall, this is positive for Allstream’s customers. However, it is important for you and your company to know that calls dialed by you or intended for your company may be blocked. Universal Call Blocking (UCB) disrupts any calls originating from calling party numbers that are non-conforming calling numbers.
A non-conforming calling number is one that: exceeds 15 digits or is malformed and does not conform to a dialable number. Some examples of non-compliant Calling Line ID include 000 000-0000, 111 111-1111 or numbers with more than 15 digits.
Allstream will be implementing a Call Filtering feature in the coming months. Allstream will provide additional information on this new feature when it becomes available.
A possible issue for some companies is related to calls that may originate from the organizations’ Private Branch Exchanges (PBXs). Some organizations insert special numeric characters that do not reflect the caller’s real number.
Therefore, any customers setting their own calling numbers should ensure their numbers conform with the North American Numbering Plan (using active, assigned NPA and NXX coding) or the international numbering plan.
The treatment that your call receives when you are blocked is dependent on where in the phone network the blocking occurs and thus your experience will vary from call to call. The CRTC order is meant to mitigate spam calls and the Commission expects businesses to send valid calling line identification (CLID) in order to conform with the various laws/rules that detail that requirement.
Customers that have purchased their equipment and have it supported by Allstream Unified Communications must contact our service center by calling 888-733-5744 or by sending an email to uc.service@allstream.com. Please note that this request is deemed billable because the change has been mandated by the CRTC and is not due to an issue with the equipment. Allstream UC customers who have managed service portfolios including HCS, Mitel Cloud and on-prem managed services will be updated automatically and will not need to take any action.
Allstream customers who manage their own technology, including calling ID, will need to access their system to change caller ID. Allstream cannot help with this as we do not manage your caller ID. Any numbers distributed by Allstream, conform to the numbering convention.
Allstream works closely with our customers as true partners to proactively plan, implement, optimize and support custom solutions. We thank you for being a customer.