Interview: Orange joins the Certified Senders Alliance, what this means for deliverability in France

The Certified Senders Alliance is often little-known in France, but for advertisers and ESPs committed to healthy deliverabilityOrange's arrival should raise the level of interest. CSA certification could provide a measurable boost for certain ISPs, while reminding us of a simple reality: no certification can replace the fundamentals of consent, basic hygiene and authentication. On the platform side, integrating CSA signals and sharing actionable metrics could become a real competitive advantage.

To cut to the chase, here are the key points:

• Orange joins CSACSA certification will boost the French operator's reputation by "a few points".
• IP certification today, domain certification tomorrowCSA certification is currently IP-based; domain-based certification is planned for 2026, which will make it more attractive to advertisers (and solve the problem of shared IPs).
• CSA MonitoringCertified players have access to the "Certification Monitor", which tracks a number of indicators, including the rate of complaints, the number of incidents and the number of complaints received.email authenticationThis data can be used for web or API purposes.
• No preferential treatmentCertification never overrides ISP filters. It enhances good practices, not replaces them.

The video of the interview (in French) is available below or directly from our website on our Youtube channel. Take 20 minutes to grasp the practical implications for advertisers and ESPs.

You can also listen to the podcast version (in French). Subscribe to our podcasts on your usual platforms so you don't miss a thing (just search for "Badsender").

Note: For ease of reading, the written transcript of this interview has been adapted. However, Sandra Schubert's words have been preserved without any additional information.

CSA presentation and mission

Jonathan Loriaux - Our aim is to take a look at what's new at the Certified Sender Alliance. Can you briefly introduce yourself and explain your role at CSA?

Jonathan Loriaux - What does CSA promise for the email ecosystem?

Sandra Schubert - We want to be a trusted third party between senders and receivers (ISPs, webmails, spam filters) to improve overall performance. We share data with senders so they can react to security breaches or deliverability problems. We act as a link to raise the quality and security of the entire ecosystem.

Jonathan Loriaux - You are an association, aren't you?

Sandra Schubert - Yes. CSA is a project of the German eco association, founded in 2004, together with the DDV. We act as a quality standard for email, with over 20 years' experience, with the aim of improving safety and quality for all.

Jonathan Loriaux - Which players are you targeting?

Sandra Schubert - To the entire email chain. On the sender and routing side (ESP, brands), we provide data and performance improvement. On the receiver side (ISPs, filters), we offer a trusted partner and the quality control of our certified members, to better distinguish between good and bad actors. Indirectly, this benefits everyone by reducing spam and reinforcing inbox security.

Certification: from IP to domain (2026)

Jonathan Loriaux - What does it mean to be certified?

Sandra Schubert - We define quality standards and norms via our certification programcurrently at IP level. A candidate company undergoes an audit covering good marketing and routing practices, transparency and privacy protection. If eligible, its IPs are placed on a trusted list shared with our partners (ISPs, filters), who apply it and send us back performance data. The idea is to reward senders who play the quality game with better deliverability.

Jonathan Loriaux - You're gradually moving from IP certification to domain certification. Why is this?

Sandra Schubert - The IP-centric model is no longer sufficient, especially with shared IPs. We are preparing a second sending domain certification program (DKIM), scheduled for 2026, with more specific data and additional rewards. This program is aimed more at brands, which will be able to choose which domains to certify.

Jonathan Loriaux - Will a brand with its own domain, but not on a certified platform, be able to benefit from this domain certification?

Sandra Schubert - We need to guarantee routing quality. The program will start for brands that route via their own infrastructure or via an IP-certified router, which is the minimum requirement today.

Jonathan Loriaux - And what's to stop a brand that's a customer of a non-member router from becoming a member in its own name? Do you have to own your IPs?

Sandra Schubert - For current IP certification, you need to prove full control of the IPs used, for example via WHOIS on behalf of the brand or via a token. With a router, the IPs generally belong to the ESP, so this control is not total. Some companies with internal routing (for transactional purposes, for example) may have it. This is the basis of IP certification: mastery, security and control of IPs.

Partnerships and coverage in France

Jonathan Loriaux - The novelty that motivates this interview is the arrival of Orange. Are any other major players in the French market involved?

Sandra Schubert - Orange is a big step forward, both in France and in Europe. We already have Yahoo!, Hornetsecurity and other partners. Microsoft is a partner. As for Gmail, we'd love to, but we're working on it. We're members of a number of anti-spam bodies, and we're in contact with all the players, even if they're not all CSA partners today. We'd like La Poste, SFR and Free to join us too.

Certification Monitor: metrics and availability

Jonathan Loriaux - With Orange, the trusted list will be useful, especially on Orange and Yahoo! What about the monitoring tool? When will Orange be included?

Sandra Schubert - We're working on it. It's underway, confirmed by Orange for availability in early 2026.

Jonathan Loriaux - What indicators are included in this tool?

Sandra Schubert - The Certification Monitor verifies compliance with our KPIs and exposes data from partner sources to provide visibility and detect authentication failures. Now IP-centric, it also includes domain views. We can analyze by IP range, DKIM Domain and From Domain. In particular, we track complaint rates, aggregated and by IP or domain, authentication problems (missing DKIM, alignment), and spam trap hits per day. Graphs show the evolution of complaints, authentication and spam traps, and an Inbox deviation indicator compares the day's performance with that of the previous day.

Jonathan Loriaux - Do you have inbox placement data?

Sandra Schubert - Not in the current IP certification. The domain program will provide them, globally and by ISP, as well as complaint rates by ISP. Domain granularity is key, as one IP can host several players.

Jonathan Loriaux - How much does certification and access to monitoring cost?

Sandra Schubert - Our prices and conditions are public and the same for everyone. The rate depends on the company's annual income. Large routers with lots of IPs have a small surcharge. Visit IP type (dedicated or shared) has no influence. The annual contract includes an entry audit paid for once, then a license renewed each year. For domain certification, the model has not yet been finalized.

Jonathan Loriaux - If I'm a brand using a CSA member router, how can I access the data?

Sandra Schubert - For IP certification, the web and API monitoring tool is supplied to the router at the time of certification. It's up to them to integrate and make this data available to their customers. For domain certification, a brand can go through its router or directly with us.

Jonathan Loriaux - What deliverability gains can you expect from certified IPs?

Sandra Schubert - Each partner applies the list in its own way, but we're seeing better delivery security and less spam placement. Orange has confirmed that it applies the trust list with the aim of improving performance, for example through a "trust credit" for IPs with no history. Certification never supersedes each ISP's own algorithms and rules, whose priority remains the protection of users.

Jonathan Loriaux - Certification therefore adds positive reputation points, with no magic guarantee of reaching the inbox.

Sandra Schubert - Exactly. It offers a boost, which varies from partner to partner, without bypassing the filters.

Jonathan Loriaux - A final word?

Sandra Schubert - Thank you for the exchange. Starting out in Germany 20 years ago, the project has become international, with over 45 partners and more than 100 certified members. Our aim remains to achieve lasting improvements in quality and safety for both shippers and receivers. And I'm glad we can talk about the domain certification program coming up in 2026.