The GSMA Foundry, led by Head of Foundry Richard Cockle, has recently announced the launch of the Open Verifiable Calling (OVC) project — an initiative aimed at delivering verifiable and trusted voice calls.
Fraud, spoofing, and AI-driven impersonation are on the rise, exploiting the fact that the public telephone network has no native way to verify who is calling. This erodes consumer trust, reduces answer rates, and increases costs for businesses.
Open Verifiable Calling addresses this by embedding cryptographic proof of caller identity, brand rights, and caller intent directly into every call. Whether local or international, fixed-line or mobile, human or AI-assisted, recipients can know who is calling and why — and verify it in real time.
This GSMA-led collaboration invites carriers, technology vendors and regulators to work together on a framework to prove a live, cross-border implementation of verifiable calling.
Richard Cockle, Head of the GSMA Foundry, said:
“Everyday consumers are increasingly confronted with the decision of whether to trust the calls or messages they receive. At the GSMA, we are dedicated to exploring and advocating for innovative solutions that empower mobile consumers to maintain trust in their communications.”
Proven governance model from financial services
The project aims to explore an adaptation of a governance framework already proven in financial services—the Legal Entity Identifier, operated by the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) — for use in global telecommunications. For over a decade, this model has enabled reliable, cross-border identity verification in regulated industries.
Phases and roadmaps
The GSMA Innovation Foundry will deliver the project in two key phases:
- Phase 1 – Demonstrator at MWC Barcelona 2026 showing verifiable and branded calling in action.
- Phase 2 – Pilot deployments in 2026 with participating carriers, enterprises, and regulators.
The strategic goal of the initiative is a complete toolset— technical guidance, governance models, and implementation guides—allowing any country to deploy branded and verifiable calling consistently and at scale, free from proprietary lock-in.
Call for partners
The GSMA Foundry invites carriers, technology providers, and regulators to join this landmark project and help define the future of trusted voice communications.
For more information or to express interest, contact Hamaad Akbar of GSMA Foundry
About GSMA Foundry
The GSMA Foundry is the GSMA’s global collaborative hub for accelerating innovation in the mobile industry.
By bringing together operators, vendors, and ecosystem partners, the Foundry delivers high-impact projects that solve industry-wide challenges.