Like last year, this year’s Somos Summit exceeded expectations. There were new voices and topics but the recurring theme was the same: to trust more, we have to talk more. Throughout the day, the panelists shared how collaboration caught the bad guys and fought fraud. In one instance it started out as a LinkedIn request for help!
With branded calling and RCS being the talk of the industry, and the conference, it brought us to an essential question: What role does the phone number play in this brave new ‘branded’ world?
The phone number is the superpower of the network. Its universal accessibility powers global communication across countless platforms and devices. It guarantees a perpetual network effect where every new phone number is accessible to every other phone number in the network. This superpower is irreplaceable.
So, yes, while branded calling will allow increased trust (or in branded calling’s case, restore trust) in the network, the role of the phone number in ensuring reach and connectivity will not go away. The contextual data around the phone number will become more important as we go up the value chain. More on that in a future discussion.
Like the phone booth today, the phone device too may someday fade into antiquity. Yet, the phone number as a unique, universal, widely recognized identifier will endure. It will remain our timeless link to each other.