The initial setup for ClearIP is a very straightforward process. The following steps must be completed before SIP INVITEs will be correctly processed by ClearIP. Go through each subsection for Organization, Number Translation, and Basic Integration Testing to get started with initial testing of ClearIP.
Once this basic testing is completed, ClearIP services such as toll fraud prevention, STIR/SHAKEN, least cost routing, and more can be set up by reviewing the main sections within the documentation.
Setup Organization Menu
In the Organization menu, an SBC can be defined. When ClearIP receives a SIP message, it must first identify the device that sent the message. This is done by matching the source IP address of the SIP message with the defined SBCs. If the SBC can’t be identified, a 403 Forbidden response will be returned.
A service provider, a group, and a user must also be defined. Calls can be organized into a hierarchy structure with 3 levels: Service Provider, Group, and User; with User being the lowest level. After identifying the SBC of a SIP message, the User must be identified. This is done by matching headers in the SIP message with the headers defined for each User.
Setup Number Translation Rules
In the Configuration menu, calling and called number translation rules can be defined. To enable consistent processing, ClearIP requires all telephone numbers to be in E.164 format without the leading +.
Perform Basic Integration Testing
Basic testing should be performed to ensure the SBC sends the correct number format and responds appropriately to the expected ClearIP responses.
ClearIP Call Processing Flow
The complete ClearIP call processing flow is listed below:
| Step | Process | Potential Responses | Service Cost Incurred |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Message validation | 400, 403, 413, 483 | |
| 2 | SBC lookup | 403, 603 | Reporting (base) |
| 3 | Number length check | 484 | |
| 4 | User lookup | 403, 603 | |
| 5 | Number translation | ||
| 6 | Data enrichment | ||
| 7 | Blacklists/whitelists | 302 (diversion), 603 | |
| 8 | Existing trigger | 302 (diversion), 603 | |
| 9 | Inbound Shield | 302 (diversion), 603 | Inbound Shield |
| 10 | Outbound Shield | 302 (diversion), 603 | Outbound Shield |
| 11 | Fraud control | 302 (diversion), 603 | Fraud control |
| 12 | BCID authentication | BCID authentication* | |
| 13 | SHAKEN authentication | 302 (diversion), 603 | STI authentication* |
| 14 | SHAKEN verification | 302 (diversion), 603 | STI verification |
| 15 | Reputation lookup | 302 (diversion), 603 | Reputation lookup |
| 16 | CNAM lookup | CNAM lookup | |
| 17 | Static routing | 302 (routing) | Static routing |
| 18 | Least cost routing | 302 (routing) | Least cost routing |
| 19 | Allow call | 302, 404, 503 |
This shows the order of operations of ClearIP’s logic if every possible service was enabled for a single call. In practice, only a portion of the steps and not all steps would apply to any single call. ClearIP will apply each applicable step through the processing flow in order.
Service costs are applied only if ClearIP reaches the relevant step for a given call. If the analysis during a specific step causes ClearIP to return a SIP response, then ClearIP will immediately return the SIP response and exit the call processing flow.
For example, if ClearIP is used for toll fraud prevention and a call is blocked due to a blacklist entry in step 6, the call will not be monitored by Outbound Shield in step 9 or ClearIP’s fraud triggers in step 10. The call would accrue the Reporting (base) cost but not the Outbound Shield or Fraud Control cost.
*If BCID authentication is accomplished, then SHAKEN authentication is skipped. BCID satisfies all of the requirements of SHAKEN authentication. Any given call may only be charged for BCID authentication or STI authentication, but not both.
In the event of an internal error, ClearIP may return a SIP 500, SIP 502, or SIP 504 response.