Vertical service code
[1]A vertical service code (VSC) is a special code dialed prior to (or instead of) a telephone number that engages some type of special telephone service or feature. Typically preceded with an asterisk, or * (star), key on the touch tone keypad and colloquially referred to as star codes, most are two digits in length; as more services are developed, those that use 2 or 3 as the first digit are sometimes three digits in length.
In North American telephony, VSCs were developed by AT&T Corp. as Custom Local Area Signaling Services or CLASS codes (sometimes LASS) in the 1960s and 70s. Their use became ubiquitous throughout the 1990s and eventually became a recognized standard. As CLASS was an AT&T trademark, the term "vertical service code" was adopted by the North American Numbering Plan Administration. The use of the word "vertical" is a somewhat dated reference to older switching methods and the fact that these services can only be accessed by a local telephone subscriber, going up (or vertically) inside the local central office instead of out (or horizontally) to another telephone company.
List of vertical service codes
North America
The following are the VSCs generally used in the North American Numbering Plan. Not all of these services are available in all areas, and some are only available to landline or cellular telephones. Some require additional services be purchased from the telephone company to use them.
Local Area Signalling Services (LASS) and Custom Calling Feature Control Codes:[2][1][3]
| Service | Tone | Pulse/rotary |
|---|---|---|
| Cancel forwarding[note 1] | *30 | Not Supported |
| Automatic forwarding[note 1] | *31 | Not Supported |
| Notify[note 1] | *32 | Not Supported |
| Intercom ring 1 (short short)[note 2] | *51 | 1151 |
| Intercom ring 2 (short short long)[note 2] | *52 | 1152 |
| Intercom ring 3 (short long short)[note 2] | *53 | 1153 |
| Extension hold[note 2] | *54 | 1154 |
| Malicious caller identification | *57 | 1157 |
| Call blocking | *60 | 1160 |
| Priority call | *61 | 1161 |
| Selective call acceptance | *62 | 1162 |
| Selective call forwarding | *63 | 1163 |
| Caller ID | *65 | 1165 |
| Continuous redial | *66 | 1166 |
| Number display blocking (per call)[note 3] | *67 | 1167 |
| Activate call forwarding on busy | *68 | 1168 |
| Last-call return (incoming) | *69 | 1169 |
| Call waiting disable[note 3] | *70 | 1170 |
| Conditional forward: No answer[note 4] | *71 | 1171 |
| Usage sensitive three-way call | *71 | 1171 |
| Unconditional forward: All calls | *72 | 1172 |
| Call forward: Cancel | *73 | 1173 |
| Speed calling (8 numbers) | *74 | 1174 |
| Speed calling (30 numbers) | *75 | 1175 |
| Anonymous call rejection[note 5] | *77 | 1177 |
| Do not disturb | *78 | 1178 |
| Do not disturb disable | *79 | 1179 |
| Call blocking disable | *80 | 1180 |
| Priority call disable | *81 | 1181 |
| Caller ID (per call)[note 3][note 6] | *82 | 1182 |
| Selective call forwarding disable | *83 | 1183 |
| Caller ID disable | *85 | 1185 |
| Continuous redial cancel[note 7] Voicemail[note 8] |
*86 | 1186 |
| Anonymous call rejection disable[note 5] | *87 | 1187 |
| Deactivate call forwarding on busy | *88 | 1188 |
| Last-call return cancel[note 7] | *89 | 1189 |
| Conditional forward: Busy line | *90 | 1190 |
| Conditional forward: No answer | *92 | 1192 |
| Directed call pickup | *94 | 1192 |
| Voicemail Blind Transfer[note 9][4] |
*98 | 1198 Not Supported |
United Kingdom
Notes
- 1 2 3 Code used for Cellular One service
- 1 2 3 4 Found in Pac Bell territory. Intercom ring causes a distinctive ring to be generated on the current line. Hold keeps a call connected until another extension is picked up.
- 1 2 3 Applied once before each call. Caller ID to 8xx NPA numbers and 911 cannot be blocked.
- ↑ Used by certain carriers (like Verizon Wireless), but this use is non-standard.
- 1 2 ACR blocks calls from those who blocked Caller ID (used in C&P territory, for instance)
- ↑ Has been mandated to be the nationwide code for, "Send CLID info regardless of the default setting on this phone line."
- 1 2 Cancels further return attempts
- ↑ On the FiOS networks owned by Frontier Communications and Verizon dialing *86 connects to the subscriber to their phone's voicemail system.
- ↑ When using an OBi Analog telephone adapter in conjunction with a supported service such as Google Voice dialing *98 followed by the telephone number will transfer the call in an unsupervised mode i.e. the transferring party will hear three short tone bursts and then be automatically disconnected from the call. This VSC is not supported by Google Voice on its Web site or app.
See also
- Mobile dial code
- Pat Fleet – Prompt voice for most U.S. AT&T implementations of VSC features
- Public switched telephone network
- Signalling System 7
- Telephony
References
- 1 2 "Vertical Service Codes – Code Definitions". NANPA.com. Neustar. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
- ↑ voyager (1995-04-15). Erik Bloodaxe, ed. "The #hack FAQ". Phrack Magazine. p. 7. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
- ↑ "Vertical Service Codes – Code Assignments". NANPA.com. Neustar. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
- ↑ OBi Feature Star Codes Directory
This article incorporates public domain material from the General Services Administration document "Federal Standard 1037C".