Bring in VTN - Virtual Telephone Number from AT&T IP Flex (SIP)

[TrentGreenawalt]

We are looking to bring in a VTN to our main office from an entirely different area code. For those that don't know what this is it is basically a local number in a completely different region/state that AT&T has IP Flex service, that people can dial to reach us that is local to them. It gives us the ability to look much larger than we really are, or at least service areas locally even though we don't have a physical location there.

Imagine how many time you called someone with a local exchange over an area code you didn't recognize? This solves this problem.

Anyways, onto the meat and potatoes, so currently AT&T sends us 10 digits xxx-xxx-xxxx when calls are directed to us (NOT CALLER ID). The 3300 is then programmed to strip the first 7 digits from the number and replace the last number with a 7 (and a 1 for our branch office). To my understanding any additional numbers that we get need to do the same thing or we can't receive them.

In comes the VTN, supposedly AT&T can only deliver the VTN as 13 digits! So obviously this is a problem unless we can do an “if” statement in the 3300 (not sure). Honestly, I don't know what these 13 digits are going to be. Last time I checked phone numbers only have 10 digits.

Has anyone dealt with this in the past?

Thanks for the help,
Trent


Best Regards,

Trent Greenawalt
IT Manager
Milwaukee, WI

 

[dryaquaman]

13 digits? That really seems strange enough to me to be incorrect.
I'd question them again.

I've done this with SIP and it works just fine. No such issue as to what you mentioned above. Also did it with phonebooth.com
Pick up a number from them and then forward it to an ATT DID number.
Works great for low traffic situations.

Dry Aquaman

http://www.university-music-on-hold.com

 

[TrentGreenawalt]

Yeah I agree, it is just hard finding the right person at AT&T to answer these questions. When I ask my account manager, and even my account engineer they both are like, well try it and see what we send. Really....you can't find someone to answer this without "trying it". We have to port the number from elsewhere, so trying it..isn't really an option.

Anyone seen Ben Dover around that I can talk to again

Thanks for the insight aqua..

Best Regards,

Trent Greenawalt
IT Manager
Milwaukee, WI