Insights

Video On-Demand: Toll-Free Messaging - An Industry Collaboration to Enhance Trust and Compliance

Oct 18, 2024

Team Somos was honored to present at the recent Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF) event in Las Vegas, where industry leaders gathered to discuss key advancements in business messaging. In this session, Somos highlighted how the TSSRegistry ensures compliance, builds trust and supports the integrity of messaging on Toll-Free Numbers.  With NetNumber joining the stage, the presenters outlined how the companies' roles worked together to enable Toll-Free messaging.

Dave Stewart, Somos’ SVP and Chief Business Development Officer opened the session with a brief on the regulatory history of Toll-Free messaging and a survey of audience members who use or provide messaging services using Toll-Free Numbers. It became clear that many participants were familiar with the TSSRegistry, but few could truly explain its value. This set the stage for an informative dive into how the registry functions and why it is essential for the communications ecosystem.

Bill LaRuffa, Senior Director of Business Development at Somos, provided an overview of the TSSRegistry’s role and explained how the registry validates Toll-Free Numbers, ensuring that they comply with FCC regulation and are voice enabled before they can be text enabled. The TSSRegistry then ensures that the messaging provider’s customers have the right to use these numbers, preventing misuse and building trust in the Toll-Free ecosystem.

Tina Donaldson, VP of Strategy at NetNumber, joined the discussion to outline how her organization works with Somos. She explained how NetNumber’s NNID (NetNumber ID) and the NNSR (Numbering Service Registry) manage message routing for Toll-Free Numbers. Through collaboration, both companies ensure that only verified and authorized Toll-Free subscribers can enable Toll-Free Numbers for text messaging with the messaging provider of choice.

Throughout the session, both Somos and NetNumber emphasized the value of industry collaboration. This coordination between Somos and NetNumber, alongside messaging service providers and Responsible Organizations, has created a robust, secure framework for Toll-Free messaging. This model has been successfully operational for over six years, underscoring the importance of working together — even among competitors — to achieve shared goals.