Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Dial plan

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A dial plan establishes the expected sequence of digits dialed on subscriber premises equipment, such as telephones, in private branch exchange (PBX) systems, or in other telephone switches to effect access to specific telephone networks for telephone calls, and to effect or activate specific telephone system features.

In private branch exchanges in the U.S. a dial plan may specify the dialing for the following destinations:

  • Internal extension numbers of two, three, or four digits.
  • Local numbers of seven or ten digits, which may be preceded by a 9, if required to access an outside line.
  • Long distance numbers of eleven digits, consisting of a 1, a three-digit area code, and a seven-digit number; preceded by a 9 if required.
  • International numbers of any length starting with 011 and preceded by a 9 if required.

    • Similarly, telephony service operators may provide dialing sequences for special services, such as directory assistance and emergency services.

    PBX equipment, carrier switching systems, or end-user telephones may specify a variable-length dial plan or a fixed-length dial plan.

    Syntax

    The following syntax used to identify a dial plan in a digit map is adapted from [RFC 2705].

    Some dial plan examples using the above syntax look as follows:

    References

    Dial plan Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA