A letter from our Chair and Vice Chair
Summary of 2024
Through 2024 there has been an increase in the realization that collaboration is the way forward to restore trust in International Communications. This was perfectly reflected in the ever-increasing number of discussions and forums requesting participation from i3Forum. Expanding beyond traditional telecom events, global regulators, renowned associations in the fight against fraud, and local agencies, including law enforcement departments, increasingly requested i3Forum presence and collaboration.
Our membership numbers mirror this trend, and we’re so pleased to have welcomed a whole host of new members to the i3Forum, including AB Handshake, Aegis Mobile, Bankai, Cellusys, ENEA, and GTC.
Key initiatives launched this year, including the cloud numbers workgroup, VoLTE roaming task force, Spam definitions task force, and the Asia Pacific committee assert our commitment to addressing the major challenges confronting our members. The Restore Trust Initiative made tremendous progress in 2024, and through it, a foundation was built that will benefit our members, the industry, and the regulatory community for years to come.
Membership engagement was strong in 2024 paving the way for important deliverables. The enhanced GLF i3Forum Voice Code of Conduct tackling International Revenue Share Fraud, the joint GLF i3Forum industry framework to combat increasing SMS fraud, and the CLI Safe Zone concept paper were published in 2024 and provide a base for future deliverables that are progressing nicely.
An unprecedented and expanding global presence, key initiatives addressing paramount issues, membership-driven solutions, and a rock-solid foundation for the Restore Trust initiative place us on a strong trajectory heading into 2025.
This year we’ve increased our presence at events to spread the word about the work we’re doing. We’ve continued our partnership with the GLF and sponsored breakfasts at ITW, Capacity Europe and ITW Asia as well as demonstrating our work at the CFCA, not to mention our members have been spreading the word on our behalf across the globe at other international events.
What’s happening in 2025
In 2025, all existing workgroups will continue their vital efforts to support the industry. The Fight Fraud WG will focus on both Voice and Messaging, developing solutions to more effectively prevent emerging fraud trends. The Numbering Plan Community will expand, with members increasingly sharing critical data on the usage of numbering plans. Insight will capitalize on the arrival of a major carrier in 2024, broadening its reach into new regions and introducing new KPIs to enhance understanding of voice usage. The Technical WG will remain dedicated to supporting key initiatives, such as 5G Roaming, API automation, and IsRoaming, among others.
Additionally, the Cloud Numbering WG, which had a successful start in 2024, will continue to focus on use cases. In 2025, the i3Forum will explore new Voice topics, including Trusted Trunk, Numbering Plan Access, Voice Authentication, and Spam Definition alignment. The forum will also explore non-voice topics such as Telco APIs, APIs to support CPaaS offerings, and the evolution of roaming.
These continued efforts reflect i3Forum’s commitment to addressing both current and emerging challenges within the international telecommunications sector.