Where Did Telecom Get NNID? The Acronym is the Brainchild of netnumber Global Data Services, Bringing Clarity to CSP Identification

For anyone who’s been around the telecom industry, the acronym NNID is as familiar as FIFA is to soccer fans. But that wasn’t always the case. 

Long ago, every industry database, in every country around the world, had its own model for identifying a Communications Service Provider (CSP). This lack of uniformity created confusion in call routing and other services, so international standards specified codes of various lengths and formats for identifying all communication networks globally.

The Story Behind NNID 

Unfortunately, this was in the days before mobile networks and all of the changes that derived from their creation. Over time, the lack of consistency became a challenge for the industry. 

Recognizing this, the netnumber GDS team brought a new naming convention into the market as part of its phone number data intelligence capabilities. Known as a netnumber ID (NNID), the NNID used a 6-digit routing number that uniquely identified each service provider in the world.  The naming convention gained popularity and has since become the de facto industry standard for providing precise identification of Communication Service Providers and Networks around the globe.  As opposed to other identification numbers that may exist, the NNID is really intuitive because the first 3 digits are always the country. 

The NNID of the Future 

Today, netnumber Global Data Services continues to maintain and update the assignment of NNIDs to all service providers and networks worldwide. This information is built into the Global Carrier Mapping Registry (GCMR), one of the world’s most widely utilized carrier identification databases, which is also maintained by netnumber GDS. The GCMR identifies every communications service provider worldwide (over 240 countries and territories) via their NNID and also contains additional data for each service provider, such as their MCC/MNC. The registry is updated weekly and is offered at no additional cost to netnumber GDS customers. 

 In fact, the NNID is powering the vast majority of netnumber GDS services. For example, a Carrier ID customer that queries a phone number will receive a response that includes the NNID to identify the carrier associated with that phone number.

netnumber GDS’ role in originating and maintaining NNIDs is just another example of our important role across the telecom industry. With over 20 years of experience, we remain dedicated to our core mission of empowering every telecom operator and enterprise in the world with powerful phone number intelligence data that streamlines operations, reduces costs and combats fraud. 

As communications networks continue to transform, netnumber Global Data Services will continue to leverage its expertise and leadership in the phone number intelligence data sphere to empower a more simplified and secure ecosystem for our customers. This ensures that customers can solve even their most complex challenges with market-leading real-time insights and expert support. If you’d like to learn more about our many offerings, go to our services page.