silent call

{{Short description|Call where no audio is transmitted}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}

A silent call is a telephone call in which the calling party does not speak when the call is answered. Most such calls are generated by a cold call telemarketing operation's dialer software, which makes many calls automatically and sometimes does not have an agent immediately available to handle an answered call. As a result, the called party hears silence ("dead air"), followed by the call being disconnected.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-01 |title=Abandoned and silent calls |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/problems/tackling-nuisance-calls-and-messages/abandoned-and-silent-calls |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=Ofcom |language=en}} This differs from a ghost call, which is not dialed intentionally, and is due to technical issues or pocket dialing.{{fact|date=January 2024}}

In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) uses the term "abandoned call" instead of silent call in its regulations applying to telemarketing.{{Cite web |date=2011-02-02 |title=Complying with the Telemarketing Sales Rule |url=https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-telemarketing-sales-rule |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=Federal Trade Commission |language=en}}