Solved Outbound Caller ID with Twilio and 3CX

[gigaboy]

Is there a way to send a CallerID Termination using Twilio, using a name "John Doe", on a per trunk basis (as all extensions would be the same CID)? Instructions/links to docs/examples would be great. I have not gotten this to work correctly, and another thread has reported on this issue as well:
https://www.3cx.com/community/threads/twilio-sip-trunk-cant-make-outbound-calls.58728/#post-247136 (further down)

 

[leejor]

Sending a name, along with a number, is not supported by many providers. You'd need to check with them.

If it does work, a name can be taken from several location, the set itself, the datafill against the extension, the trunk datafill, and the database that is accessed by a provider both originating and terminating. I have found that, when it does work, the name farthest from the destination tends to take priority. This may all depend on settings and your provider. There are a number of variables/settings involved so each situation can be different.

 

[Christopher Reagoso]

We have a SIP provider that you can change name on , on a DID - by - DID basis. If you need help with this, catch me offline.

 

[cobaltit]

@Christopher Reagoso

Most providers can do that, but I don't think that's what the OP is asking for. It looks like the OP wants to use the same CID number but a different name.


@gigaboy

What you are asking for going to be impossible for anyone, at least on a consistent basis. Even if a provider lets you push out your own name, that would require every carrier/interconnect to pass it along untouched and then for the receiver to ALSO read/use that versus doing their own CNAM lookup. Basically the best you can achieve is pushing it out from 3CX and then anyone else 'on-net' would see it but anyone off-net would only get the number and then do their own CNAM dip returning whatever is published.

 

[gigaboy]

Yeah, I get that the whole CID system is a real mess, and that there is no unified database across telcos. However, now we had a client who informed us that our CID is showing originating from Australia. Never had that happen before. We're in Ohio, and have had this number for 23 years. Wondering if there's outbound CID regex that I should be using in 3CX. Twilio wants the termination number pushed out as this e164 format "+14155552671" (no quotes).

 

[cobaltit]

Are you or did you follow this guide?

https://www.3cx.com/docs/twilio-elastic-sip-trunking/

Honestly I don't remember sending my number out in e164 format when playing with Twilio but I don't recall for sure. Did you port your number to Twilio or are you using that service that lets you push your OWN number without porting?

 

[gigaboy]

Here's Twilio's docs: https://www.twilio.com/docs/glossary/what-e164
We ported our numbers in, so I can associate a named CID - you can't associate a name to a number with numbers purchased from Twilio. Having said that, there are several 3rd party services that take care of associating names to numbers. But I wonder how effective that is, since there are dbs all over the place, and some take forever to update.

More to the point: In 3cx there are two different locations to insert outbound CID, 1) in the extension, and 2) in the outbound rules. So my questions are these:
a) If CID exists in both the extension and as an OB rule, which takes precedent?
b) Can I have just an extension CID and not use OB rules?
c) Conversely, can I just us OB rules and not insert an extension CID?

 

[craigreilly]

I have Twilio set up as an Outbound Trunk - but its a backup only - not too concerned withoutbound caller id. I mainly use Twilio for automated SMS.
The only place I have a PLUS (+) with Twilio is in the Outbound rule. So I prepend to ensure 11 digits with a preceeding +.


a) Depends on how the Trunk is setup - Outbound Parameters - and what field Twilio looks at for the Caller ID information.
b) The Extension CID is needed to know what path to take out and if it needs to add digits. ie: In USA, 7 digit dialing almost doesn't work anymore. And Twilio is going to require 10 or 11 digits. So Outbound Rules are required.
c) Yes, no extension CID is required. Just ensure it is sending what you want by making some test calls, especially a 911 test.

This is a non-emergency test call. My name is from . We made changes to our phone system and are performing tests of our emergency dialing capabilities. Can you please tell me what number and address is received?

 

[gigaboy]

For those who are using Twilio, here's how to config 3cx formatting (for the United States):
In the extension, caller id: +1xxxxxxxxxx (11 digits and the prepended + sign)
In the OB Rules:
1) create a rule:
- Calls to number starting with prefix 2-9
- Calls to numbers with a length of 10
- Set the route to NOT strip digits and prepend with +1
2) create a rule:
- Calls to number starting with prefix of 1
- Calls to numbers with a length of 11
- Set the route to NOT strip digits and prepend with +

 

[YiannisH_3CX]

Hello @gigaboy

Glad you figured this out and thank you for updating the thread with your solution. To clarify a few things that may read this thread in the future, the Outbound caller ID set extension settings has nothing to do with outbound rules and how the number is formatted. Outbound caller ID sets the Caller ID you want to present to the callee. Outbound rules handle how the called number will be formatted.

Depending on your Outbound parameters under trunk settings you can get the outbound caller ID from 3 locations.

1. Outbound caller ID under extension settings
2. Outbound caller ID under trunk settings / Caller Id
3. Main trunk number

The order i list them is the order that the PBX follows as well. These of course are general guidelines and depend on the outbound parameters settings.

 

[gigaboy]

Thanks for the clarifications!