Caller ID – Caller ID Name | Frequently Asked Questions | AT&T Office@Hand
Article #4284

Caller ID – Caller ID Name | Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Outbound Caller ID Name (CNAM)?
2. What is the difference between Caller ID and CNAM?
3. How do CLID and CNAM work together?
4. What is a CNAM Database?
5. What are the limitations of the Outbound Caller Name (CNAM)?
6. How do I setup my Outbound Caller Name (CNAM)?
7. How do I change my Outbound CNAM?
8. How long would it take for my CNAM to be activated?
9. What if my CNAM is still not activated after submitting the request?
10. Why is my number not consistently showing an accurate CNAM?
11. For Canadian numbers, we do not have an external CNAM service.

1. What is Outbound Caller ID Name (CNAM)?
   The Caller Name (CNAM) is a feature that displays your Name or Company Name on the Caller ID display of the party you are calling. When it is set up, your Caller ID Name would display as text along with your Caller ID Number.
2. What is the difference between Caller ID and CNAM?
   Caller ID (a.k.a. “CLID”) is the actual phone number calling in, whereas the accompanying text that provides the identifying name for that number is called CNAM (a.k.a. “Caller Name”).
3. How do CLID and CNAM work together?
   When a phone call is made, the Caller ID (CLID) is routed to the destination’s carrier for delivery. The Caller Name (CNAM) text data is not sent out by the originating carrier, as they are separate services.
   When the call arrives, the carrier for the destination end of the call will reference the inbound number against its own local CNAM database. At this point, both a CLID number and CNAM text are usually delivered to the recipient’s (called party’s) phone when it rings through.
4. What is a CNAM Database?
   CNAM databases (a.k.a. “Line Information Databases”) are official, authoritative sources where the CNAM text data is recorded for any given phone number. There are multiple CNAM database providers that maintain these centralized records. Carriers may subscribe to one or more of them.
5. What are the limitations of the Outbound Caller Name (CNAM)?
   • The Outbound Caller ID Number must be a local landline number.
   • Toll-free numbers are not supported. When the Outbound Caller ID is set to a Toll-Free number, only the number will display.
   • Maximum of 15 characters (including spaces) for the text string and will be presented as capital letters.
   • Special characters are not supported.
   • CNAM is applied to all local numbers within the AT&T Office@Hand account.
   • CNAM cannot be set for individual numbers or Digital Line.
   • Mobile numbers do not support CNAM. If the receiving party is a Mobile number, only the number will display.
   • When the Outbound Caller ID is set to Blocked, the call recipient will see UNKNOWN or ANONYMOUS asthe Caller ID/Caller Name.
     As CNAM transmission is the responsibility of the terminating carrier (number being called), that terminating carrier must support CNAM functionality and must have updated CNAM Database records.
6. How do I set up my Outbound Caller Name (CNAM)?
   To set up your AT&T Office@Hand account’s Outbound Caller Name, follow the instructions in Caller ID – Set Caller ID Name (CNAM).
7. How do I change my Outbound CNAM?
   To update/change your existing Outbound Caller ID Name, follow the instructions in Caller ID – Change Caller ID Name (CNAM).
8. How long would it take for my CNAM to be activated?
   The changes to CNAM are not immediate. Allow a 72-hour update window; however, it may take weeks to get the National registry updated. Local carriers in the United States perform a “dip” to get a new list of CNAM matched to numbers. One customer may state that some customers see the correct name while another customer may not. AT&T Office@Hand has no control over this. Many and smaller carriers do not “dip” very often as it costs them for each “dip.”
9. What if my CNAM is still not activated after submitting the request?
   Contact AT&T Office@Hand Customer Support for assistance and provide the Date and Time when the request was submitted or re-submitted.

   After the request for CNAM is approved, AT&T Office@Hand needs to wait for the other carriers to update their Caller ID Name database. Other carriers will only be able to see the updated Caller ID Name after they update their local CNAM repository.

   Example: Becky requested to change his company’s Caller ID Name from “BIG JOHN” to “BIG JOHNS PIZZA”. On the 14th day, the Caller ID Name “BIG JOHNS PIZZA” was applied to User1’s phone numbers. Carrier1’s users are able to see “BIG JOHNS PIZZA” as his Caller ID Name, but Carrier2’s users are still seeing “BIG JOHN”. The reason why Carrier2 is still seeing “BIG JOHN” as Becky’s CNAM is because Carrier2’s Caller ID Name database is outdated. The solution is for Carrier2 to download and apply the updated list of Caller ID Names so that Carrier2’s will see the updated Caller ID Name for Becky’s phone number

10. Why is my number not consistently showing an accurate CNAM?
    When you update the CNAM for your number in your AT&T Office@Hand Online Account, that number name mapping is submitted to the centralized CNAM database. When the recipient receives a call, their carrier references its own local CNAM repository that may or may not be up to date.

    For the CNAM to be displayed accurately, the terminating carrier, to whom the calls are getting delivered, must have updated their local repository from the official database(s). This update is referred to as a “dip.” Depending on the carrier, they may or may not perform these dips regularly. Thus, the recipient may be seeing outdated information for your number. Usually, large carriers keep up to date with these centralized databases. You are more likely to notice a problem when a smaller carrier is involved.

    AT&T Office@Hand provides support for local, main company number CNAM changes, and we are responsible for ensuring that the proper databases are updated in a timely fashion. However, we cannot take responsibility for how a third-party provider manages their repositories, nor force them to update their records.

    If you are noticing that some called parties are receiving outdated CNAM information for your number, please notify AT&T Office@Hand so that we may verify that the CNAM databases were updated correctly on our end. If the CNAM database was updated by AT&T Office@Hand, the called party would then need to contact their carrier to ensure those records are also up-to-date.

11. For Canadian numbers, we do not have an external CNAM service.
    CNAM in Canada is handled a bit differently than how it is in the United States. The carrier who hosts the destination number (being dialed) has a name associated with the number seen as the calling number. It is that carrier’s database that is incorrect. This aspect is the same for both US and Canada dialed numbers; the destination carrier sends the CNAM of the calling number from their database to their subscribers.

    For issues like this in the US, carriers will dip a CNAM providers’ database to update the names on phone numbers. For issues like this in Canada, the carriers do not typically dip the CNAM database so, to correct, the carrier(s) who have the wrong name need to be manually corrected. They have CNAM providers in Canada, but most carriers in Canada do not have an automated method for CNAM updates.

Keywords: 4284, Caller ID, Name, Frequently Asked Questions, FAQ, CNAM, CLID, Outbound Caller Name,

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