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No—not in the sense that they have an announced retirement date. In the United States, ANI remains a defined carrier function, and CLID remains the calling number used for caller ID. What is changing is how networks authenticate number use and may deliver richer caller information. Because those newer capabilities depend on IP networks and compatible call paths, the transition is uneven.
What ANI and CLID mean
ANI and CLID are related to a call’s number, but they describe different functions. Neither term, by itself, verifies who a caller is.
| Term | What it refers to | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| ANI (Automatic Number Identification) | Under the U.S. definition in 47 CFR §64.1600, delivery of the calling party’s billing number by a local exchange carrier to an interconnecting carrier for billing or routing, followed by delivery to end users. | It is not, by itself, proof of a caller’s personal identity or entitlement to use the number. |
| CLID (Calling Line Identification) | The calling phone number associated with caller ID. Microsoft’s Teams documentation describes it as the number routed to the destination carrier and potentially presented to the recipient. | It does not guarantee the displayed number has been preserved accurately or authenticated. |
| CNAM (Calling Name) | The caller-name information that may accompany a number on a recipient’s phone or calling service. | It is separate from the number, and its availability and accuracy are not guaranteed. |
| STIR/SHAKEN | Standards and protocols that allow authenticated information to travel with calls on supported IP networks. | It does not identify a human caller in the ordinary sense or ensure that every call is authenticated. |
The ANI definition is in 47 CFR §64.1600. Microsoft explains CLID and CNAM in its Calling Line ID and Calling Party Name documentation. Its examples concern Teams and carrier behavior; practices can vary by service and region.
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What is actually changing?
Authentication is being added to number presentation
A caller ID number is information presented with a call; seeing it does not prove that the caller is authorized to use it. STIR/SHAKEN adds a cryptographically signed assertion to calls on supported IP paths. The FCC describes a PASSporT carrying provider identity, the originating number, and an A, B, or C attestation reflecting the provider’s knowledge of its customer and the customer’s right to use that number.
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That attestation is a provider’s statement about its relationship to the call and number—not a universal identity check of the person speaking. FCC rules require covered voice service providers to implement STIR/SHAKEN in IP networks, subject to exceptions. The framework therefore supplements caller-number information rather than replacing the basic concepts of ANI or CLID. See the FCC’s technical description of STIR/SHAKEN.
IP adoption does not cover every call path
STIR/SHAKEN works on IP networks. In its 2025 caller-ID-authentication discussion, the FCC said portions of the national network had not transitioned to IP. A call that crosses legacy or otherwise incompatible network segments may not carry or preserve authenticated information end to end. The FCC’s discussion is a statement about the technology’s limits, not a percentage estimate of how many calls are authenticated. See FCC 25-76.
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Caller names remain a separate, unsettled layer
CNAM supplies a name rather than a number, and whether a name appears depends on carrier and regional arrangements. Records may be stale, missing, altered, or not delivered. The FCC has raised concerns about CNAM accuracy and manipulation, while describing Rich Call Data (RCD) and other IP-based approaches as potential alternatives. It has not described RCD as a universal replacement: legacy CNAM databases remain the widespread source of caller-name information. A richer display is therefore not something every caller or recipient can assume will be available.
Why the terms are not interchangeable
It helps to separate four questions a phone system may answer:
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- Which number is carried for billing or routing? ANI is the regulatory term for the relevant billing-number delivery function.
- Which number is shown as caller ID? CLID refers to the calling line number presented for identification.
- What name or context might appear? CNAM and prospective RCD approaches address name or richer caller information.
- Is there an authenticated assertion about use of the number? STIR/SHAKEN addresses this on compatible IP call paths.
A call can have a number without a name, a displayed number without an authenticated assertion, or authentication information that does not make a human caller’s identity certain. Treating all of these as one “caller ID” feature hides the practical differences.
What the law and newer standards do—and do not—say
U.S. law prohibits knowingly causing a caller identification service to transmit misleading or inaccurate caller identification information when the intent is to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain anything of value. The law also preserves the ability to block caller identification information. This legal rule does not mean every inaccurate display is necessarily an intentional violation. See 47 U.S.C. §227.
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The standards work also continues. IETF RFC 9970, published in June 2026, updates guidance on connected identity in STIR, including consideration of calls retargeted to an impersonating destination and protection against spoofing of certain mid-dialog or dialog-terminating events. The RFC also makes clear that STIR does not determine the called party’s identity in a conventional telephone call. Publication of a standard document shows ongoing technical work; it does not establish that consumer networks have deployed it universally.
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What this means for callers and recipients
- Do not treat a displayed number as proof of identity. For sensitive requests, verify the caller through a trusted contact method rather than relying only on caller ID.
- Do not assume a missing name means a suspicious call. CNAM delivery varies, and a name may be absent even when a number is present.
- Do not assume a name is accurate. Caller-name data can be stale or manipulated, and a display is not a substitute for authentication.
- For provider and telecom teams, think in terms of call paths. IP support, interconnection, and preservation of signaling affect whether authentication data can travel and be interpreted.
So, are CLID and ANI running out of time?
No expiration date is established by the available U.S. regulatory and standards material. ANI remains defined in current U.S. regulation, and CLID remains an operational term in current vendor documentation. The shift is toward adding authentication and richer data on IP-capable paths—not simply deleting number identification. That transition remains incomplete, and the terms describe distinct functions that new systems supplement rather than collapse into one.
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