T-Mobile, Comcast launch cross-network anti-robocall feature

T-Mobile and Comcast are teaming up to fight robocalls.

The companies said Wednesday they're rolling out a feature that protects consumers from robocalls and spam across their networks. It uses the Stir/Shaken standards recommended by the Federal Communications Commission to spot authentic calls.

The verification feature is already available for T-Mobile customers and will come later this year for Comcast Xfinity Voice home phone service customers. It'll mean T-Mobile customers can be assured calls from Comcast home phones aren't from a scammer spoofing a number, and vice versa, the companies say.

"Robocalls and spam calls are an industry-wide problem, and we've got to join forces to keep consumers
protected," T-Mobile CEO John Legere said in a statement. "Today, we're the first to cross industry lines to do just that."

T-Mobile also said Caller Verified, its implementation of Stir/Shaken, is now available on 10 phones, including the LG G8 ThinQ and the Samsung Galaxy S10 , S10E and S10 Plus . It'll soon be available on the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Galaxy A6 . Customers with the most recent software update will see "Caller Verified" show up on their screen when they get authentic calls from T-Mobile's network and Comcast's Xfinity Voice home phone service. 

T-Mobile expects it'll do this with more companies as they begin implementing Stir/Shaken in the coming months, said Grant Castle, vice president of engineering at T-Mobile.

"As the other carriers get on board, we'll be able to use this technology to verify nearly all of your calls," Castle said.

Two years ago, T-Mobile rolled out free scam protection that analyzes calls and alerts customers about likely scams. In January, the carrier became the first wireless company to apply the Stir/Shaken standards after launching Caller Verified on the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 . In November, T-Mobile said it had blocked more than 1 billion spam calls in the last 18 months.