vertical service code

{{Short description|Telephone dialing code for access to service features}}

{{use American English|date=September 2022}}

{{use MDY dates|date=September 2022}}

A vertical service code (VSC) is a sequence of digits and the signals star ({{Key press|*}}) and pound/hash ({{Key press|#}}) dialed on a telephone keypad or rotary dial to access certain telephone service features.{{Cite web |title=Vertical Service Codes – Code Definitions |url=https://nationalnanpa.com/number_resource_info/vsc_definitions.html |publisher=North American Numbering Plan Administrator |website=NationalNANPA.com |access-date=2022-07-30 }} Some vertical service codes require dialing of a telephone number after the code sequence. On a touch tone telephone, the codes are usually initiated with the star key, resulting in the commonly used name star codes. On rotary dial telephones, the star is replaced by dialing 11.

In North American telephony, VSCs were developed by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) as Custom Local Area Signaling Services (CLASS or LASS) codes 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 vertical is a somewhat dated reference to older switching methods and the fact that these services can only be accessed by a telephone subscriber, going up (vertically) inside the local central office instead of out (horizontally) to another telephone company.

Feature definitions

The following are the vertical service codes generally recommended by the North American Numbering Plan Administrator for use in the NANP territories. Not all of these services are available in all areas, and some are only available on landline telephones or Mobile phones.

Local Area Signalling Services (LASS) and Custom Calling Feature Control Codes:{{Cite magazine |title=The #Hack FAQ|url=http://www.phrack.com/issues.html?issue=47&id=7 |author=voyager |editor=Erik Bloodaxe |magazine=Phrack Magazine |page=7 |date=1995-04-15 |access-date=2013-03-18 }}{{Cite web |title=Vertical Service Codes – Code Assignments |url=http://www.nanpa.com/number_resource_info/vsc_assignments.html |publisher=Neustar |work=NANPA.com |access-date=2013-03-18 }}

class="wikitable sortable"
colspan="2" | Vertical service code

! rowspan="2" | Service definition

! rowspan="2" | Australia

! rowspan="2" | Japan

! rowspan="2" | UK

Tone
dialing

! Pulse
dialing

align="center" | *51

| align="center" | 1151

| Who called me. Provides the directory number, date and time of unanswered calls.

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *52

| align="center" | 1152

| Call Hold (Single Line Variety Package). Permits the call to be picked up at another station.

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *53

| align="center" | 1153

| Distinctive Ring B. Allows a subscriber to alert a specific party distinctively.

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *54

| align="center" | 1154

| Distinctive Ring C. Allows a subscriber to alert a specific party distinctively.

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *57

| align="center" | 1157

| Call trace (Malicious caller identification)

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *60

| align="center" | 1160

| Call blocking

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *61

| align="center" | 1161

| Priority call

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *62

| align="center" | 1162

| Selective call waiting

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *63

| align="center" | 1163

| Selective call forwarding

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *65

| align="center" | 1165

| Calling number delivery activation

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *66

| align="center" | 1166

| Continuous redial

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *67

| align="center" | 1167

| Calling number delivery blocking

| align="center" | 1831
#31#1831 on landlines, or #31# from a mobile{{cite web|title=HOW TO: block your number when calling someone|url=https://exchange.telstra.com.au/how-to-block-your-number-when-calling-someone/|website=Telstra Exchange|publisher=Telstra|access-date=28 May 2017}}

| align="center" |

| align="center" | 141
#31#141 on landlines and #31# on mobiles

align="center" | *68

| align="center" | 1168

| Activate call forwarding on busy

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *69

| align="center" | 1169

| Last-call return (incoming)

| align="center" | *69 HFC
*10#*10# for Telstra services [http://www.telstra.com.au/homephone/features_services/call_return.html "Telstra Home Phones and Plans – Call Return"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314000130/http://www.telstra.com.au/homephone/features_services/call_return.html |date=March 14, 2011 }} *69 on Optus HFC Telephony network. [http://personal.optus.com.au/web/ocaportal.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=Template_wRHS&FP=/personal/customerhelp/producthelp/homephonehelp/homephonehowtoguides/usingcallreturn&site=personal "Optus Personal – Using Call Return"] This only allows one to return the last unanswered call, and can cost 35 cents per use.

| align="center" | 1361
13631361 to get number, 1363 to call back. {{cite web |url=http://www.ntt-east.co.jp/release/0007/000717b.html |title=NewsRelease |website=NTT East |access-date=June 20, 2013}} {{cite web |url=http://www.ntt-west.co.jp/denwa/service/136/gaiyou.html |title=Number OSIRASE 136 |website=NTT West |access-date=June 20, 2013}}

| align="center" | 1471After dialing 1471, the caller can press "3" to automatically return the call. Previously free, since August 2004 the return call service incurs a charge.

align="center" | *70

| align="center" | 1170

| Call waiting disable

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *71

| align="center" | 1171

| Usage sensitive three-way call

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *72

| align="center" | 1172

| Unconditional forward: All calls

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *73

| align="center" | 1173

| Call forward: Cancel

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *74

| align="center" | 1174

| Speed calling (8 numbers)

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *75

| align="center" | 1175

| Speed calling (30 numbers)

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *77

| align="center" | 1177

| Anonymous call rejection activation

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *78

| align="center" | 1178

| Do not disturb

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *79

| align="center" | 1179

| Do not disturb disable

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *80

| align="center" | 1180

| Call blocking disable

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *81

| align="center" | 1181

| Priority call disable

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *82

| align="center" | 1182

| Caller ID (per call)

| align="center" | *31#/18321832 on landlines, or *31# from a mobile

| align="center" |

| align="center" | 1470

align="center" | *83

| align="center" | 1183

| Selective call forwarding disable

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *85

| align="center" | 1185

| Caller ID disable

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *86

| align="center" | 1186

| Continuous redial cancel

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *87

| align="center" | 1187

| Anonymous call rejection deactivation

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *88

| align="center" | 1188

| Deactivate call forwarding on busy

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *89

| align="center" | 1189

| Last-call return cancel

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *90

| align="center" | 1190

| Conditional forward: Busy line

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *92

| align="center" | 1192

| Conditional forward: No answer

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *94

| align="center" | 1194

| Directed call pickup

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

align="center" | *272

| align="center" |

| Wireless Priority Service

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

| align="center" |

See also

{{Portal|Telephones}}

  • {{Annotated link|Mobile dial code}}
  • Pat Fleet – Prompt voice for most U.S. AT&T implementations of VSC features
  • {{Annotated link|Public switched telephone network}}
  • {{Annotated link|Short code}}

References

{{Reflist}}