Can't make outgoing calls

Symptom

You dial a number and the call fails: you hear short beeps or a busy tone, see an error, or the call ends before it rings. Incoming calls may still work.

On a free trial?

If your account is new, check this first. Until your identity is verified, you can only call users inside your own phone system. After verification, trial calls end after 1 minute, outgoing calls stop when the $2 trial credit is used up, and international, special and virtual mobile numbers can’t be called. Activate your account to remove these limits. See Your free trial.

Quick checks

1. Does it fail for every number, or only some? If only international or premium numbers fail, see International calls blocked.
2. Does it fail for every user? If yes, check your balance and account status first (cause 2).
3. Look at the call in Reports. Open Reports › Call history and find the call. The Terminate cause column shows how it ended. See Call history.

Likely causes and fixes

1. The user has no call plan, or can’t make outgoing calls

A user needs a call plan to make outgoing calls.

Fix:

• Go to Services › PBX licences and check the user’s Call plan. Choose one if it’s empty.
• Open the User on the PBX tab and check Do not allow outgoing calls is off.
• Click Apply configuration after any change.

For calls through a SIP trunk, the trunk needs its own SIP trunk call plan.

2. Low balance or a suspended account

Prepaid accounts need enough balance to make calls. Postpaid accounts can be suspended for an overdue invoice.

Fix: open Billing › Home and check your Balance and Current status. Top up or pay any open invoice. See Account suspended or low balance.

3. The device is offline or not signed in

A desk phone or softphone that isn’t registered can’t dial out.

Fix: check the device shows Online in PBX › Devices. If not, see Device offline.

4. The Webphone can’t use your microphone

In the Webphone, a call that ends straight away with short beeps usually means the browser or app has no access to the microphone.

Fix: allow microphone access for the Webphone in your browser or computer settings, then try again. See Webphone troubleshooting.

5. The number is dialled in the wrong format

• Dial the full number with the area code, unless your dial plan adds it for you.
• A softphone showing error 404 Not Found usually means the number doesn’t exist or was mistyped. Try the same number from a mobile.

With a dial plan such as Australia - NSW, ACT (02), you can dial an 8-digit local number and the area code is added automatically. Without one, include the area code.

6. The destination is blocked or has no rate

Calls to some international and high-risk destinations are blocked to protect you from fraud.

Fix: see International calls blocked. To check what a call costs on the user’s call plan, use Billing › Rates search. See Check call rates.

7. The phone’s network settings

If a desk phone is online but outgoing calls fail, your router may be interfering with call signalling.

Fix:

• Make sure the phone’s transport matches the Transport protocol in the device’s SIP credentials in PBX › Devices.
• Turn off SIP ALG on your router. See Network requirements.
• On a Yealink phone, see Yealink common issues.
• A softphone showing 488 Not Acceptable Here has no matching audio codec. Allow the codecs listed under Supported audio codecs in the device’s SIP credentials. See Softphone errors.

8. Calls go out but show the wrong number

That’s a caller ID problem. See Caller ID wrong or anonymous.

When to contact support

Create a support ticket with:

• the number you dialled and the user or device you called from;
• the date and time of a failed call (with your time zone);
• what you heard or saw, including any error code on the phone;
• the device type (Webphone browser, desktop app, mobile app, desk phone model or softphone);
• whether other users or other numbers work.