CPNI (Customer Proprietary Network Information) Overview and Key Takeaways

Introduction

In the United States, we have a communications infrastructure that is actually quite complex. For instance, not only do the traditional landlines still exist, but a bulk of our communications is now done through our wireless devices, especially our smartphones.

But keep in mind, the term “communications” is a very broad one. It doesn’t just involve the use of various types of handsets, but it encompasses the video medium as well. Also included in this mix is Internet connectivity, wireless communications (which includes VoIP, video and audio conferencing such as Skype and WebEx), and all forms of messaging. In other words, anything that you use to communicate with another party will broadly fall under the umbrella of “telecommunications.”

Given this plethora of technologies, the subscriber base will obviously be huge. In an effort to keep all of this information and data uniform and standardized, the Customer Proprietary Network or CPNI was created.

What Exactly Is the CPNI?

The CPNI is simply the information and data that the telecommunications industry collects about you. Your communications provider typically collects this. It includes the following:

• Your telephone number
• The telecommunications services that you have purchased through your communications provider
• The specific types of services that you are using
• The destination as to where your communications are going (for example, if you place a call or send a text message, who is the specific recipient of that communications?)
• The technical configuration of all of your telecommunications services that you are currently making use of
• The specific geographic location in which you are making use of these services
• The amount of the services that you are making use of (for example, if you use a personal hotspot on your smartphone, how much data do you consume on your allotted plan?)
• All (Read more...)