Summary

External Phone Numbers allow you to attach an extension to an outside phone number. For example, you can take the 800-directory service number and attach it to an internal extension of 411.

You can also create an external phone number and use it as a failover for menus, users, and groups. For example, you can enter your mobile phone number as an external phone number in your OnSIP account, and if someone calls your extension and there is no answer, the call can then be sent to your mobile phone.

Note: Please be aware that standard PSTN calling rates still apply.

Creating an External Phone Number:

1. In the App Admin app.onsip.com Under Outbound Call Settings, choose External Phone Number.
2. Choose Add External Phone Number.
3. Provide a descriptive Name for this external phone number, e.g., "Mike's Cell Phone"
4. Enter the Telephone Number starting with 1, then area code and number
5. Choose the Calling type for this external phone number. This choice comes down to the question, do you want to be billed for calls to this external phone number, or do you want the caller to be billed? The answer to this question determines whether you want to bill the authenticated caller or bill a user in your account.

Choose Unrestricted if:

Anyone calling from outside the OnSIP network will be routed to this number, this includes callers from the PSTN.

• The number is related to calls for a specific user and you want charges to show up under this user's CDR reports.
• Another destination (like a group or an ACD queue) will fail over to this external number.

Choose Restricted if:

• Only people calling from a device that can authenticate with OnSIP, e.g. callers in your organization calling from their SIP phones, will be routed to the external number.
• You would like the caller to be billed for calls going out to the external phone number.

Note: If the restricted caller is chosen as the billing user and the caller can not authenticate with OnSIP, then the call will be hung up.

       6. Set the outbound caller ID for this external phone number. You can use the use the caller's identity info (pass through the caller's information), or you can enter in a custom ID name and ID number.

       7. When complete, select Save and Exit.

Why does my "External Phone Number Details" say "Restricted"?

Since calls to your external phone number will eventually end up on the PSTN, OnSIP needs to bill normal PSTN rates for these calls. If you have chosen "Restricted" then calls made to this external phone number will only be passed on to the PSTN from SIP phones that can authenticate with OnSIP. That is any phone configured with the User Address credentials that can normally make PSTN calls. In this case that phone (and account) is the one that will be billed for the phone call. Additionally, if a phone on the PSTN calls into your OnSIP PBX and gets transferred to an external phone number (e.g. someone dialing 411 from at an Auto Attendant) the call will be rejected and hung up. This mechanism prevents you from being billed for calls that you did not intend to be answered.

In order to circumvent this behavior, and for all calls from an external phone number to be completed, select “Unrestricted” choose a user to bill the calls to in the "Report Call Activity Under" section of the External Phone Number Details.