LIDB Updating

CNAM Overview

There are two main components to the Caller ID info seen by a receiver of a call: the number and the name. The number is the "easy" part, but the name takes a little more effort to set up. This wiki explains your options for provisioning a Caller ID Name (CNAM) to go along with your caller ID number.

Setting your own CNAM within your PBX has no effect in the U.S. and many other countries. Only the CID number is transmitted to the terminating carrier, and those carriers then look up the name from a database. It is not possible to set a Caller ID Name (CNAM) from the sipstation.com portal.  

• If you will be making calls to Canadian numbers, you can pass the Caller ID Name from your PBX.

• In the U.S., CNAM information depends on what is stored in a Line Information Database (LIDB), which contains records of numbers and names. There are many different databases, and each carrier decides which database to use.

CNAM Limitations

Unfortunately, it's not guaranteed that your CNAM will reach the person on the other end of your call. Even after you've updated your information, the receiver of the call might not see your CNAM at all, or they might see outdated information. There are multiple databases. Your information may take several weeks to propagate throughout the system. Since many carriers incur a cost when they look up information from CNAM databases, updates might not be very frequent. The carrier's own CNAM database, or the third-party database they are using, may be outdated. Also, not all providers offer CNAM service.

Having SIPStation Update the LIDB For You (Paid Option)

• To have SIPStation send a request to update LIDB records with your Caller ID Name (CNAM), please download the following form.

  • https://portal.sangoma.com/marketing/resources/78/SIPStation/LIDB-Form.pdf

• Please fill in all the information on the form, then open a SIP trunking/SIP Station support request ticket at https://help.sangoma.com/. Ensure you include the signed copy of the LIDB Form. 

• We will submit your LIDB update request. We will update the ticket once we have confirmation that the changes were accepted into our upstream carrier's database.

Using the Free www.listyourself.net Website (Free Option)

• If you would like to use a free service to try and update your Caller ID name (CNAM), you can use the following site. We have had lots of customers report good success with this site.

  • www.listyourself.net

• Click on their "Get listed for Free" option and go through the process.

  • Please note, using this option is all on your own, and not something we can provide any assistance or support on. If you would like our assistance in updating your CNAM, please use the support ticket method explained above.