Direct Inward Dialling (DID)

Originally, telephone numbers were confined to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). They were administrated by local telephone companies that controlling the various telephone exchanges or "rate centres".

With the deregulation of the phone companies and the advent of Internet telephony (VoIP) telephone number can be routed outside the PSTN. Incoming calls to these numbers bypass the local rate centres and can be routed directly to Internet addresses. This routing is refered to as Direct Inward Dialling (DID), or Direct Dial-In (DDI) in some parts of the world.

Direct Inward Dialling (DID) is how we connect regular telephone numbers to your VTX™. Incoming telephone calls are routed directly to your VTX™ which then handles the call and any further routing.

Hardfocus offers DID telephone numbers in:

  • 49 states in the USA
  • 7 provinces in Canada
  • Toll-free "800" numbers in Canada and the USA.
  • 3 cities in Japan
  • 30 other countries

Check availability of North American DIDs here. (For toll free and other countries please contact us for availability.
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DID Channel Capacity & Billing

The number of simultaneous incoming calls is limited by the number of available channels. If a DID telephone has two channels, up to two people can call that number without getting a busy signal. Two channels are the minimum required to facilitate features such as Call Waiting and Three-Way Calling.

DID service providers may charge any or all of the following:

  • one-time set-up charge
  • fix-rate monthly charge
  • per-minute charge for incoming calls

Whether or not they charge per minute depends on the number of channels and the country/locale of the rate centre.

Hardfocus charges US$2.00 for setup of most DIDs and offer two pricing structures, as follows:

Low-Channel Capacity - "Flat Rate"

Low-channel-capacity DIDs are usually limited to two channels; that is, up to two simultaneous incoming calls.

In North America, two-channel DIDs start at US$6.00 per month and include 3600 free minutes per month.

Flat-rate DIDs are intended for residential use. Even though the prospect of "free incoming calls" may seem economical, the per-minute cost of the metered-rate DIDs still ends up being cheaper. We do not recommend flat-rate DIDs in rate centres that offer a metered rate. Still not sure? Contact us and we'll show you the math.

High Channel Capacity - "Metered Rate"

In rate centres where they are available, we recommend high channel capacity DIDs as the per-minute charges are quite low. Your Call Detail Record (CDR) will show your incoming call history and cost for each call.

High channel capacity DIDs are usually state "unlimited" channels but can be subject to limits of the physical equipment—typically 23 channels.

In North America, high-capacity, metered-rate DIDs are as low as US$2.00 per month. Per-minute rates are as low as 2 cents per minute for incoming calls.

Local Number Portability (LNP)

Do you have an existing telephone number that you would like to transfer from your existing fix-line telephone or mobile carrier?

Find out about Local Number Portability (LNP) here .