Caller information beyond the number, such as a display name, logo, or call reason, conveyed in a signed form so the terminating network can trust and display it.
Rich Call Data is the standards-based approach to branded calling. The IETF STIR working group has defined a PASSporT extension that lets the signer include fields such as a display name, an image reference, and a call reason, along with integrity protection so the receiving side can detect tampering with any linked resources.
RCD can be added by the originating provider as part of its own signing or by a third party that vets the business and signs on its behalf, depending on the deployment model. Either way, the terminating provider verifies the signature and then decides, according to its own policies, whether to present the information on the handset.
Because RCD rides on the same infrastructure as STIR/SHAKEN, it only works end to end if the Identity headers survive transit. Intermediate networks that strip or truncate headers will silently remove the rich data along with the base attestation. Providers adopting RCD should therefore test the full path with their main interconnect partners, not just confirm that their own signing service produces valid tokens.
Why it matters to carriers
RCD gives originating providers a way to offer branding that is cryptographically tied to the call rather than dependent on separate database lookups. Supporting it means more than adding fields to a token: you need vetting for the brands, controls over which numbers can carry which names, and confidence that your interconnects pass the headers intact.