Article summary
Separate RCS system observations from carrier ownership, number portability and market geography before writing results back.
Can an RCS System Check value be written into a CRM as AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile? No. System, carrier, original range assignment and current serving network are different concepts. Mixing them is especially risky where mobile number portability exists.
Put four labels back in their own drawers
| Concept | Evidence source | Suggested field |
|---|---|---|
| RCS system observation | RCS System Check | rcs_system_observed |
| Current carrier | A documented carrier-data source | carrier_current |
| Original range assignment | Numbering-plan or allocation data | range_assignee |
| Customer market | Order or user declaration | customer_market |
Why portability breaks prefix guessing
North American area and exchange codes can support syntax and numbering-plan validation, but cannot permanently prove the current network. Treating a range assignee as current carrier contaminates routing-cost analysis, coverage reporting and customer labels at the same time.
What the AIPUSH system task returns
RCS System Check exports phone, system and ID. The ID supports result association; it should not be relabelled as a carrier customer number, device identifier or personal identity. If the decision concerns only observed RCS availability, use RCS Availability, which returns phone and availability observation.
One write-back rule prevents ten guessed columns
Append a system value to an event table only when column_source, checked_at and task_version are present. Keep carrier_current unknown unless it has an independent source. Never populate carrier_current from the system field.
How to handle three conflict patterns
- System present, carrier unknown: retain both facts without guessing.
- System changes between dated batches: keep the timeline.
- Phone-to-ID relationship changes: open a mapping review instead of merging contacts.
Accepting a North American sample
Stratify by country evidence, source and phone format, then examine unknown rate, conflict rate and duplicate consistency. Do not substitute area-code distribution for customer location, and do not treat the shared US/Canada numbering environment as one commercial market.
The TXT-to-Excel security boundary
TXT contains one phone per line. A private crosswalk retains country_evidence and contact_id. Excel first lands in staging; after validation, the process appends RCS observations without overwriting source phone, carrier or market labels.
Model expiry, not permanence
RCS capability and system observations can change. Store valid_until or choose a recheck window proportionate to the decision. Google’s capability-check guidance concerns current capability, not a permanent population attribute.
What the final report should say
Report observed system distribution, unknowns, conflicts, check date and source coverage. Add a separate statement: “Carrier identification was not performed.” That conservative line prevents one field from quietly becoming another and protects every decision that follows.
