Consumer versus Branded Calling
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We want our calling channel to remain a trusted form of communication. To support this goal, there are many processes in place to ensure we are enabling a healthy and verified ecosystem through our partners or vendors for entities or organizations calling our subscribers. This page will help you better understand how Branded Calling works.
Types of calling
The wireless industry classifies calling into two categories, consumer-to-consumer (C2C) and business-to-consumer (B2C) calling.
Consumer-to-Consumer Calls
Individuals send these types of calls directly to other people from their handsets. Calling is included in most phone service plans and consumers have the ability to make calls based on their plans.
Business-to-Consumer Calls
When entities or organizations are calling you or your family member, this is what we consider a B2C call. B2C calls that have a vetted and approved caller display name, enterprise logo, and/or call reason are referred to as Branded Calling. Note: Branded Calling is unique to B2C calls and is not available for C2C calling. Examples of Branded Calls include, but not limited to:
- Shipping and delivering confirmation
- Financial institution fraud department
- Requested call backs
- Order confirmation
- School program
For Branded Calls to connect our customers they must be part of an approved ecosystem with an active campaign. They are subject to ongoing compliance and regulatory obligations. There is a fee associated for entities or organizations who want to deliver Branded Calls to our customers.
How healthy Branded Calling works
We contract with partners who work with entities or organizations to enable enriched calling to our subscribers. These partners may also have downstream partners that are approved to enable branded calling for their customers In addition to various legal and regulatory obligations applicable to B2C calling, these partners must adhere to T-Mobile’s Branded Calling Guidelines so that they appropriately protect our customers and our network. There are additional industry vetting best practices such as Cellular Telephone Industries Association (CTIA) guidelines for Branded Caller ID Best Practices and other partner’s “Know Your Customers” processes. Partners are responsible for reviewing the content of branded calling campaigns as well as ensuring these campaigns remain compliant throughout the lifecycle. Branded Calling is not required for entities or organizations to make calls to our customers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Branded Calling and B2C calls?
Branded Calling is when an entity or organization has vetted and approved information included in their call (Caller Name, Logo, and/or Call reason). B2C calls cover any enterprise-to-consumer call. Many B2C calls today might only reflect the calling-party telephone number along with their standard Caller ID.
I own a business; how do I sign up for Branded Calling?
The most important step in running Branded Calling programs to reach our customers is to sign up through an approved vendor. Vendors who are approved to sign entities or organizations to send Branded Calls to our subscribers must be a part of the Branded Calling ID ecosystem through CTIA or First Orion, to include any of their Channel Partners. Visit:
I own a business and have T-Mobile as my service provider, am I eligible for Branded Calling?
Certain T-Mobile for Business accounts are eligible to sign up for branded calling services. Work with your T-Mobile account manager for more information on eligibility. All eligible T-Mobile for Business customers must use the First Orion Customer Portal to sign-up for services.
How soon can my Branded Calling campaign be approved and live to send traffic to T-Mobile?
Vetting is a rigorous and strict process. All partners are expected to be thorough but could have different methods in place. Please defer to your perspective partner who completed your onboarding process. In the event your onboarding partner uses a different vetting company, ask for the turnaround-time for complete vetting to go live.
I noticed there is some prohibited content in the T-Mobile Branded Calling Guidelines. What does that mean?
T-Mobile’s Branded Calling Guidelines has a list of prohibited content Branded Calling programs that run on our network. While illegal content will never be allowed, some programs do require additional review for evaluation of our exception process. If you want to run a program with content that may be prohibited, work with your approved partner to determine if you are eligible for an approved exception. Please note that prohibitions are about content and not the nature of the organization running the calling program.
What is the point of Branded Calling for entities or organizations?
All entities or organizations, regardless of size may need to call their customers directly. Branded Calling can increase many engagement metrics, such as, but not limited to answer rate, call duration, call disposition, call back, and more.
Why do I see a T-Mobile icon with “Verified Business Call” on some Branded Calls?
The “T Verified Business Call” is our product branding for the service for the highest level of verification. This will indicate that the call has been authenticated.
What information can appear on the incoming call display of a Branded Call?
Entities or organizations have the option to include their Caller Name, Logo, and/or Call Reason. While there may be different variations of these, at minimum when an entity or organization signs up for Branded Calling, they must have a caller name.
Why are only some calls I receive from entities or organizations “Branded”?
Branded Calling is an additional service that entities or organizations can pay for to add additional vetted information when calling. Branded Calling is not a requirement for entities or organizations to make normal outbound calls to our consumers.
What does Branded Calling do for customers?
Branded Calls can help increase trust for consumers to be confident in knowing the entities or organizations have confirmed who they are and, in some cases, why they are calling.
Why do I not see Branded Calling information on certain devices?
Each Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) has limitations on what appears on an incoming call display. We are working closely with the OEMs to streamline the user experience. As the ecosystem grows, we aim to have more unification of how branded information is displayed across our phones.
Is Branded Calling T-Mobile specific?
Branded Calling is not T-Mobile specific and other carriers may have their own implementation of this service.
I’m a consumer who is receiving unwanted calls from an entity or organization that appear to be Branded Calls. Is there anything I can do?
Yes! First, you can block the call from your device’s dialer. If an entity or organization continues to call you after you’ve blocked one of their numbers, you can ask them to be added to their “Do Not Call” list.
I’m a consumer who is having issues with my device to enable/disable Branded Calling. Where can I get more information?
Please visit our customer support page for instructions to enable and disable Verified Business Call. https://www.t-mobile.com/support/devices/verified-business-call-(vbc)
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