Partnership Addresses Rising Fraud and Spam While Helping Enterprises Improve Answer Rates and Customer Engagement in the UK

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark., May 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Orion, a leading provider of branded communications solutions, today announced a partnership with Vodafone to bring network-based INFORM Branded Calling capabilities to enterprise customers across the United Kingdom, helping businesses clearly identify themselves and improve answer rates.

The launch comes at a critical time for the UK market, where scam calls are a daily concern, and consumers are increasingly reluctant to answer unknown or unverified numbers, making it harder for legitimate businesses to reach customers. As enterprises look for better ways to connect, branded calling is now a critical tool for improving trust, transparency, and answer rates, while reducing uncertainty around spoofed or potentially fraudulent calls.

The UK launch utilizes Vodafone’s CAMARA-based network APIs to verify and brand calls enabling enterprises to present verified, recognizable identities at scale across Vodafone’s network. Initially launched in the UK & Germany, this service will expand to other markets, driving a consistent approach to protecting consumers worldwide.

INFORM Branded Calling delivers measurable business impact by increasing response rates and enabling more effective customer engagement. Vodafone has said the service helps consumers avoid missing important calls, while First Orion has reported a 76% increase in first-call conversions for a financial services company using branded calling.

“Our collaboration with Vodafone in Germany demonstrates a proven model for launching branded calling at scale in the United Kingdom,” said Temim Adwan, EMEA Managing Director at First Orion. “UK enterprises need a better way to reach customers with confidence through branded calls.”

“I’m delighted that Vodafone and First Orion are expanding our partnership to tackle scam calling in the UK,” said Johanna Wood, Director Network APIs at Vodafone. “Authenticated Branded Calling is a critical part of Vodafone’s drive to improve trust and transparency for consumers, and First Orion are a key partner for us as we look to scale this capability in the UK and new markets to come.”

The adoption of branded calling reflects a broader shift among enterprises globally to treat voice communications as trusted rather than risky. The partnership also highlights growing demand from UK organizations for solutions that improve call transparency and restore customer trust, as unverified calls are increasingly ignored.

About First Orion

As a market leader in branded communication solutions, First Orion elevates the phone call and messaging experiences for businesses, carriers, and consumers. First Orion offers a comprehensive suite of branded communications solutions to improve customer engagement, enhance security and transparency, and provide actionable insights. In addition to branded calling and messaging, First Orion empowers businesses with advanced analytics to optimize call programs, real-time fraud detection to protect their customers, and other innovative solutions that enable enterprises to provide trust and transparency at scale. First Orion is a valued partner to Fortune 500 companies and is integrated into the largest U.S. mobile carriers. For more information, firstorion.com. 

About Vodafone Group

Vodafone is a leading European and African telecoms company.

We serve over 360 million mobile and broadband customers, operating networks in 15 countries with investments in a further five and partners in over 40 more. We have capacity on more than 70 subsea cable systems – the backbone of the internet – and we are developing a new direct-to-mobile satellite communications service to connect areas without coverage. Vodafone runs one of the world’s largest IoT platforms, with over 230 million connections globally, and we provide financial services to around 94 million customers across seven African countries – managing more transactions than any other provider.

From the seabed to the stars, Vodafone’s purpose is to keep everyone connected.

For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com follow us on X at @VodafoneGroup or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/vodafone.

Media Contact:

media@firstorion.com