Building Trust in Communications: Inside TNS's Maturity Model

A structured framework for assessing how countries combat illegal and unwanted communications across voice and messaging

Spoofing and Caller ID manipulation account for more than $3.5 billion in fraud globally each year, according to the CFCA.

That figure frames one of the defining challenges facing the communications industry today and it underscores why TNS believes a consistent framework can help measure progress against illegal and unwanted communications has become so urgent. To help meet that need, TNS developed the TNS Maturity Model, a centerpiece of the company’s thinking on number validation, entity verification, analytics and authentication in the fight against fraud and the delivery of trusted communications. Available at no cost, the model is designed specifically for the regulators, carriers and policymakers on the front lines of protecting consumers and national communications infrastructure. The insights are intended to help them benchmark progress and identify potential areas for improvement.

Why a Maturity Model?

Illegal and unwanted communications do not respect borders, and the policies and controls used to fight them vary widely between countries. TNS developed the Maturity Model to provide a structured view of a country’s current posture across all dimensions of illegal and unwanted communications across voice and messaging. This baseline covering policy, enforcement, authentication and industry collaboration may help regulators to objectively assess their standing relative to other countries and identify the area’s most in need of attention.

Because some countries may score highly in one specific area while remaining deficient in others, this holistic framework is designed to help identify potential blind spots, and can help stakeholders identify and gaps and pursue targeted, data-driven improvements toward harmonized cross-border approaches to combating communications fraud.

Inside the Model

TNS’s Maturity Model is based on international best practices from well-known organizations involved in cybersecurity. The five-level framework is derived from established international models including GSM Association (GSMA), European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It evaluates each country across four categories:

• Blocking & Mitigation — controls that stop illegal or unwanted traffic before it reaches consumers
• Messaging Attributes — metadata, identifiers and standards that govern how messages are routed and presented.
• Enforcement & Industry Collaboration — legal frameworks and partnerships that turn policy into action.
• Industry Practices — operational discipline, transparency and accountability across the ecosystem.

Within those categories, each country is mapped to one of five levels:

• Level 1 – Ad Hoc / Basic Compliance: Reactive, minimal measures.
• Level 2 – Initial / Managed: Some rules, weak enforcement, voluntary adoption.
• Level 3 – Structured / Defined: Codified rules, registries and enforcement; a compliance-driven market.
• Level 4 – Advanced / Quantitatively Managed: Authentication, metrics and traceback; consumer protection as a differentiator.
• Level 5 – Optimized / Leading Practice: Cross-border, AI-driven, adaptive; consumer trust as a strategic investment.

Based on TNS’s current assessment, no assessed country has reached Level 5.

From Assessment to Action

A maturity model only delivers value when it provides clear and actional insights that support planning and prioritization, and that is exactly the role the TNS framework is designed to do. TNS believes that number validation, entity verification, analytics and authentication are not separate silos; they are interlocking pillars of trusted communications and assessing them together can help identify potential gaps. By placing each country on a clear continuum, the TNS Maturity Model helps to turn a complex, fast-moving fraud threat landscape into something stakeholders can plan against.

For regulators, that means a shared language for setting goals and measuring progress. One informed by internationally recognized standards rather than any single country’s playbook. For telecommunications operators, it offers a way to help prioritize investments where they may have meaningful consumer impact, from foundational blocking controls to advanced authentication and traceback. For policymakers, it provides a roadmap that connects today’s rules to tomorrow’s harmonized, in-country and cross-border practices, helping policymakers consider how cross-border gaps may affect progress.

As fraudsters continue to evolve, the bar for “good enough” protection will keep rising. As such, reaching Level 4 and Level 5 will require sustained collaboration between industry and government. TNS is committed to supporting that journey, sharing insights, refining the model and helping the ecosystem move toward a future in which consumer trust in voice and messaging is the rule rather than the exception.

TNS Vice President Michael Swade presented “The Importance of Number Validation, Entity Verification, Analytics and Authentication on Detecting Fraud & Delivering Trusted Communications” at the ECC NaN2 meeting in Podgorica, Montenegro (May 2026), where he showcased the TNS Maturity Model. If your organization is interested in understanding where your market sits on the Maturity Model — or how validation, verification, analytics and authentication can help strengthen your defenses — the TNS team would welcome the conversation here.

Sharon Oddy is Vice President of Marketing and Communications with specific responsibility for TNS Communications Market.