[asterisk-users] Extension Numbering

[Gordon Henderson]

On Fri, 29 Sep 2006, Lacy Moore - Aspendora wrote:

> I have a suggestion regarding dial plan.  When I first started I saw no
> reason to have to dial 9 first for outside calls.  Because I wanted to be
> able to dial out from the missed calls list, I chose to eliminate the dial 9
> requirement.  I'm now regretting it, primarily because 711 is a valid
> number, but also a parking spot.  I can handle 911, and I can handle 411,
> but 711 is going to be a pain.
>
> Just wanted to give you something to consider when you are starting out.
> Something I didn't consider.

This is going to be very country specific.

Here in the UK, I've installed several small systems without a dial-9 for
an outside line type thing. The outside line prefix is effectively digit
zero. (which is preserved and dialled on the outgoing zap lines)

The down-side is that you then have to dial the entire 10 or 11 digit
number to make a call, even a local call where you would normally drop the
4 or 5 digit STD prefix, but that really isn't a problem now as we've been
doing it that way for years on our mobiles, and incoming caller-id is
always the full number starting with 0, so we tend to use the full number
in the speed dials, especially if the phone uses the speed-dial
name+number to identify incoming calls...

(Which does irritate me when I'm in some town I don't know very well and
ask someone for their phone number and they just give me the local part!)

There is an exception for 999, and I still provide the 9 service too for
things like 100 (BT operator), and other services like directory
enquiries, fault reporting, etc. it's easier to just provide the 9 service
too and then advise the punters that's the way it is :)

Gordon