Managing digital certificates manually can become a demanding task for telecom providers, particularly when certificate issuance, authorization and renewal must fit into an operational workflow. The ACME protocol helps simplify this process by allowing systems to communicate directly with a Certificate Authority (CA) and automate key certificate-management operations.
For telecom providers participating in the STIR/SHAKEN ecosystem, this automation can reduce repetitive administrative work and make certificate provisioning more consistent. PeeringHub provides an STI-ACME service designed around this requirement, giving eligible service providers an automated way to obtain STIR/SHAKEN certificates.
What Is the ACME Protocol?
Understanding Automatic Certificate Management Environment
ACME stands for Automatic Certificate Management Environment. It is a protocol standardized in IETF RFC 8555 that enables an ACME client to communicate with a Certificate Authority over HTTPS to request and manage digital certificates.
Instead of relying entirely on manual requests and administrative exchanges, an ACME client can submit certificate orders, complete the required authorization steps and retrieve issued certificates through a defined protocol.
ACME was initially developed for automating certificate management in the Web Public Key Infrastructure. Its framework also supports extensions for other identifier types, including telephone numbers in STIR-related certificate workflows.
Why It Matters for Telecom
STIR/SHAKEN relies on digital certificates to support the authentication of caller identity. Service providers need authorized certificates and corresponding private keys to digitally sign calls. These certificates must also be accessible through the appropriate Certificate Repository so receiving providers can retrieve them during verification.
ACME helps automate the interaction between a service provider's system and the STI Certificate Authority. Think of it as a standardized service counter: instead of handling every certificate request through a series of manual exchanges, an authorized system can submit and manage requests through a consistent technical interface.
How Does ACME Automate Telecom Certificate Issuance?
The Main Stages of the ACME Workflow
An ACME-based certificate process generally follows a sequence of operations:
Account creation: The ACME client establishes an account with the Certificate Authority. The account is associated with cryptographic credentials used to authenticate subsequent requests.
Certificate order: The client submits an order describing the certificate it needs. The ACME server responds with the requirements that must be satisfied.
Authorization: The service provider must demonstrate that it is eligible to obtain the requested certificate. In the STIR/SHAKEN environment, this includes the relevant service-provider authorization and telephone identity requirements.
Certificate request: After authorization is completed, the client submits a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) containing the public key and requested certificate information.
Certificate issuance: The CA processes the request and issues the certificate when the applicable requirements are satisfied.
Certificate retrieval: The client retrieves the issued certificate and makes it available for the appropriate STIR/SHAKEN operations.
Automation Does Not Mean Skipping Authorization
A critical point is that ACME does not independently establish whether a telecom provider is entitled to participate in STIR/SHAKEN. The protocol automates the certificate-management exchange but does not replace the governance and authorization process.
For example, a provider cannot simply connect an ACME client and obtain a certificate without the required approval. Its service-provider identity and authorization must first meet the applicable requirements.
Why Telecom Providers Need Automated Certificate Management
Reducing Repetitive Administrative Work
Manual certificate requests can involve repeated coordination between technical teams and certificate-management personnel. An automated interface helps reduce the need for repetitive manual exchanges and allows systems to follow a consistent issuance process.
This becomes particularly useful when a provider manages multiple certificates or operates infrastructure that depends on repeatable provisioning procedures.
Supporting Consistent Certificate Operations
Automation can help technical teams standardize how certificate requests are submitted and processed. It also makes it easier to integrate certificate operations into existing provisioning systems.
Consider a telecom provider onboarding a new service environment. Rather than relying exclusively on an engineer to coordinate each certificate request, an integrated ACME client can initiate the appropriate workflow once the required authorization and configuration are in place.
Improving Operational Visibility
ACME provides defined account and order resources that clients can query. This allows systems to check account status and monitor certificate orders through protocol-based requests.
However, automation does not eliminate the need for monitoring. Providers still need to manage private-key security, certificate validity, renewal schedules and repository availability.
How PeeringHub Applies ACME to STIR/SHAKEN Certificate Issuance
A Dedicated STI-ACME Server
PeeringHub operates an STI-ACME server that it identifies as compliant with RFC 8555. Eligible STIR/SHAKEN service providers can subscribe to its CA service and access the ACME server to obtain STIR/SHAKEN certificates.
The onboarding process has an important prerequisite: the provider must have its own Operating Company Number (OCN) and obtain approved STIR/SHAKEN Service Provider status from the STI Policy Administrator, iConnectiv.
After completing the subscription process, the provider's OCN is whitelisted on PeeringHub's ACME server for automated certificate issuance.
A Practical PeeringHub Example
Imagine a telecom provider that has completed the necessary STI-PA authorization and subscribed to PeeringHub's CA service.
Its workflow can follow this general sequence:
The provider completes the subscription process.
Its OCN is whitelisted on the PeeringHub ACME server.
The provider configures an ACME client to communicate with the server.
The client establishes an authenticated account and submits certificate orders.
The required authorization and certificate request steps are completed.
The ACME server processes the request and makes the issued certificate available through the certificate-management workflow.
PeeringHub also provides a Certificate Repository for hosting certificates. This distinction matters because ACME handles certificate-management operations while the repository makes issued certificates available for retrieval during verification.
API-Based Certificate Generation
PeeringHub also provides an STI API for certificate generation. Its documented workflow includes obtaining an authentication token, generating a private key and requesting a STIR/SHAKEN certificate.
The certificate-generation API returns a cr_path field containing the URL from which the certificate can be downloaded. This gives developers another integration route for incorporating certificate generation into their systems.
PeeringHub also states that its support team can assist with manual certificate generation when required.
ACME vs. Traditional Certificate Management: What Is the Difference?
Manual Processes Compared With Protocol-Based Automation
Traditional certificate management may depend on manual coordination for certificate requests, authorization checks and retrieval. ACME introduces a standardized client-server process that can automate supported operations.
The difference is not that ACME removes every human task. Rather, it makes the technical exchange more predictable and easier to integrate into software workflows.
For telecom providers, the practical benefits include:
Fewer repetitive manual certificate-management steps.
Consistent request and response handling.
Easier integration with provisioning systems.
Better support for automated certificate workflows.
A defined protocol for account and order management.
What ACME Does Not Replace
ACME should not be confused with the entire STIR/SHAKEN framework. It does not independently perform call authentication, validate every incoming call or guarantee that a call will be trusted by its recipient.
It automates certificate-management interactions. Service-provider authorization, private-key protection, call signing, certificate publication and call verification remain distinct responsibilities within the broader ecosystem.
PeeringHub vs. Other STIR/SHAKEN Certificate Management Providers
Telecom providers evaluating certificate services should compare the actual scope of each offering rather than assuming that every Certificate Authority provides the same workflow.
PeeringHub
PeeringHub focuses on STIR/SHAKEN certificate issuance through its STI-ACME server and developer-oriented API services. Its documented offering includes OCN-based onboarding, automated certificate issuance for eligible providers and Certificate Repository hosting.
This approach is relevant to providers looking for a certificate-management service with protocol-based automation and API integration.
TransNexus
TransNexus offers a broader STIR/SHAKEN solution portfolio. Its services include certificate authority capabilities, secure key management and certificate repository hosting. It also provides authentication and verification services with call-treatment capabilities based on verification results and configured policies.
TransNexus documents API-based certificate signing requests as well as certificate issuance through its web interface.
Comparing the Service Scope
The distinction is primarily one of operational scope. PeeringHub emphasizes STI-ACME certificate issuance and API-based certificate workflows. TransNexus presents certificate management as part of a wider STIR/SHAKEN authentication and verification solution.
A provider primarily seeking an ACME-based certificate issuance workflow may evaluate PeeringHub's dedicated service. An operator looking for an integrated environment covering call authentication, verification and call treatment may also consider the broader TransNexus offering.
The right choice depends on existing telecom infrastructure, integration requirements, key-management policies and the level of operational functionality needed.
Conclusion: Make Telecom Certificate Issuance More Efficient With ACME
The ACME protocol provides telecom providers with a standardized way to automate certificate-management operations. By reducing repetitive manual exchanges and enabling software-driven requests, it can make certificate provisioning more consistent and easier to integrate into telecom infrastructure.
For STIR/SHAKEN participants, however, automation must work alongside proper STI-PA authorization, secure private-key handling and reliable certificate hosting.
PeeringHub brings these elements together through its STI-ACME server, certificate authority services, Certificate Repository and developer-focused APIs. For eligible providers looking to simplify their STIR/SHAKEN certificate workflow, it offers a practical route toward more automated certificate management.
Explore PeeringHub's STIR/SHAKEN CA services and discover how its ACME-based workflow can support your telecom infrastructure: https://www.peeringhub.io/!
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