Dialling internal extension along DID

Asterisk Asterisk General
1

Hi everyone,

Let’s suppose that I have a typical Asterisk system which contains local extensions and that also allows external users to phone this extensions from the outside, by dialling a regular phone number (let’s say a DID configured in Asterisk) that is redirected in the dialplan to a IVR that prompts them to dial the desired extension. In other words:

External user dials company DID: XXXXXXXXX
Sound file is played asking for internal number to reach.
User dials extension: YYY
Extension is reached.

This works OK. However, now I want that external users might be able to include the extension number in the initial dialled number, thus reaching that extension directly (no IVR o second dialling step required). I mean:

External user dials: XXXXXXXXXYYY (company number + internal extension)
Asterisk gets the call and connects with extension YYY

The problem that I have found is that I am not able to get the extension number. First I tried checking the value of {EXTEN}, but it only includes the XXXXXXXXX number, not the complete dialled number. I have also tried to use the Read function to no avail (it waits for user input, instead of reading the remaining YYY that are not part of the DID).

Any ideas? I can attach the dialplan if it helps you to better understand the issue.

Best regards

2

That relies on your external provider, which is unlikely to forward that information to you or even recognize it.

1 Like
3

Hi,

That is what I previously thought, but some time ago I had to phone several people from a couple of big companies, and I was able to skip the long and boring IVR and contact them directly. That’s why I now thought that somehow the YYY digits were able to reach Asterisk, and could be used to process the call.

Best regards.

4

The other people had a proper DID service. Unfortunately, in the SIP world it is often only the ITSP that has such a service and the DIDs are their DIDs, not yours.

An ITSP aimed at PABX users should be able to give you a real DID service, where, for example, the last three Xs are your YYY.

2 Likes
5

I see, that makes sense. Well, I suppose that I will have to forget about this idea.

Thank you both.

Best regards