Starting the Troubleshooting Process

Use the sections that follow to easily isolate any issue that isn’t intermittent, including call-quality issues such as static and echo, as well as call-completion issues such as recordings or fast busy signals. If your issue is intermittent, you might need to repeat the tests 10 or 20 times before you can confirm the results.

 Tip  When you are having a problem on an outbound local call, it can affect all of your calls because all call types will route into or out of your local carrier. To troubleshoot this type of problem, skip to Step 5 and then open a trouble ticket as necessary based on your results.

Step 1: Redialing the number

If you are having a completion issue (say calls fail to a recording or a fast busy signal) you may have misdialed. Try calling back, even if you dial the number all the time and are sure you couldn’t have misdialed. It’s common to transpose a digit or press an incorrect key. If you confirm that you misdialed, you can go on about your day.

 Remember  If pressing the Redial button on your phone completes your call, you should be aware of the fact that there might have been an intermittent issue you stumbled across, or an outage that just cleared up on its own. If the call still fails or has quality issues when you redial it, move to Step 2.

 Tip  The key to doing bad troubleshooting is to make assumptions. Even the most basic assumptions (of course I dialed right!) can lead to wasted time.

If you have call quality issues, write down the information about all of your call examples (see Chapter 11 for the specifics of what you need) and try the number again. Call quality issues only affect calls that pass over the affected circuits or through the affected hardware. If the problem is deep enough into your carrier’s network, the static or echo may be intermittent; if your call is sent over a different circuit to reach its destination, you might not have any problems. If the problem affects all of your calls, proceed to Step 2 to continue troubleshooting.

 Remember  If you can’t finish dialing the entire phone number before the call fails, or if you have a line-quality issue before you finish dialing the phone number, the problem is either with your hardware or your local carrier. Your call won’t make it to your long-distance carrier’s network until after the last digit is dialed and your local carrier identifies it as a long-distance call. If you have static on the line after you dial three or four digits, but before you finish dialing the phone number, the issue is probably with your local carrier. If you have a PBX phone system that performs any type of least-cost routing, your local carrier won’t see the call until after you enter the last digit and your PBX decides where to route it. In this case, any static or issues that occur before you finish the dialing sequence are the result of hardware problems within your phone system. There might be a bad port or line in the phone system that is causing it. Because the tests indicate it’s your hardware, you need to dispatch your hardware vendor to fix it.

Step 2: Validating your long-distance carrier

If you think the problem is with your long-distance carrier, you need to confirm that your calls are actually going to the carrier. It’s possible that some other long-distance carrier accidentally changed your phone line over to its network, and then blocked your access to its network after realizing the mistake. In this case, the reason your long-distance calls aren’t completing is because your calls aren’t running over the correct network. Of course, that’s an assumption — you don’t know for sure until you check. You need to test part of the call that moves from your local carrier to the long-distance carrier (see Figure 12-1).

Figure 12-1: Validating your long-distance carrier.

The industry standard test for validating your long-distance carrier is called a 700 test. The 700 test got its name because you dial 1-700-555-4141 from your touch-tone phone (rotary dial phones may not have access to the service). The 700 test is a free local call and is routed by your local carrier to a recording that identifies your interLATA long-distance carrier. If your long-distance carrier is AT&T, for example, the recording says, “Thank you for using AT&T.” This test is almost always accurate, so investigate anything that doesn’t sound correct.

 Tip  Performing a 700 test now, before you have a problem, can help you avoid possible confusion in the future. Your phone bill might come from one carrier, but if the carrier uses a subsidiary to provide your service, the 700 test could lead to a confusing message. The number of switchless resellers continues to increase; additionally, carriers are often bought, sold, and renamed, so knowing who your carrier is can be a lot more confusing than it seems. For example, maybe your local carrier doesn’t know that IXC Communications purchased Cincinnati Bell and is now Broadwing, which is why you don’t hear the new Broadwing recording that you should hear. If your 700 test lists a carrier you don’t recognize, call your long-distance provider for validation. If you are wondering what a switchless reseller is, I suggest checking out Chapter 1 for a crash course.

Some competing local exchange carriers (commonly called CLECs), such as PAETEC and Mpower, might not provide the 700 testing feature, but might instead send you to an automated voice reciting the phone number you are dialing from. In this case, the only way to determine where your local carrier is routing your long-distance calls is by calling your local carrier.

 Remember  The 700 test only validates the long-distance carrier for an individual phone line. If you want to check multiple phone lines, you have to test them all manually, one by one.

The 700 test only validates the primary interexchange carrier (PIC) your local carrier has listed for your interLATA long-distance traffic. Some local carriers offer a 700 test for your intraLATA PIC of 1-700-your area code-4141, but generally, you can only confirm the long-distance carrier for your interLATA calling. If you aren’t sure what the difference is between intraLATA and interLATA calls, please check out Chapter 3 for the specifics.

Step 3: Forcing the call over your long-distance carrier

Even if the 700 test claims that your long-distance carrier is set up on your phone line, you haven’t unequivocally proven that your calls are being routed to there. Local carriers use many internal tracking databases, and only one of them handles 700 tests. As I said in the previous section, 700 tests are usually correct, but a totally different system deeper in the computer switch (a switch that is always accurate) actually routes all of your long-distance calls.

Being both persistent and polite, ask the customer service representative at your local carrier to do a conference call, or simply ask to have a switch technician validate your long-distance carrier. If the switch identifies the long-distance carrier as MCI, but the 700 test says your long-distance carrier is Sprint, the 700 recording is wrong — your calls are transmitted across the MCI network. The switch is always right, because the switch is the piece of hardware that actually sends your call to your long-distance carrier. Figure 12-2 shows that the area tested is still within the realm of the local carrier (refer to Figure 12-1). The difference is that in this test the focus is on a section of your local carrier’s network a little farther downstream.

 Remember  You may have noticed something peculiar about Figures 12-1 and 12-2. The pictures are exactly the same, it’s true. Both Step 2 and Step 3 involve validating the routing by your local carrier. However, Step 2 (represented in Figure 12-1) tests to ensure that the call is being sent to the correct carrier; the second test (Step 3, represented in Figure 12-2) affects the circuits used to reach that local carrier. I know, I know, I’m splitting hairs, but the point is to help you identify that you need to talk to your local carrier in each of these instances, even though at first blush it looks like you’re dealing with a long-distance problem.

Figure 12-2: Forcing a call over your long-distance carrier.

You do have the power to force calls onto your long-distance carrier. All it takes is the dial-around code for your long-distance carrier and the capability to dial seven more digits. Every long-distance carrier has a dial-around code, and if you have any switched phone lines, you should know the one that belongs to your carrier. When you ask for the code, the carrier gives you a number that begins with 10-10 (pronounced ten-ten) and ends in three more digits. For example, the dial-around code for AT&T is 10-10-288; for MCI, it’s 10-10-222, and for Sprint it’s 10-10-333. If you want to find out more about dial-around codes, you can meander over to Chapter 7 and read the section on casual dialing.

 Remember  Performing the 700 test validates only one part of your local carrier’s network, the section that identifies the carrier to receive your long-distance calls. The other part of the local carrier’s network that you need to be concerned about is how the local carrier actually routes your calls to your long-distance carrier after the local carrier’s network determines the correct route to the correct long-distance carrier. If the circuits making up the route to your long-distance carrier aren’t functioning correctly, your call fails, even though the 700 test has correctly identified the long-distance carrier. Forcing a call over your long-distance network bypasses the first step and can result in your call taking a different path to your long-distance network.

How dial-around codes work

 Technical Stuff  A dial-around code tells your local carrier to immediately route your call onto the long-distance network associated with that particular code. Dialing a phone number with one of these 10-10 codes bypasses the local carrier process that determines whether your call is local or long distance, and identifies which carrier is assigned to your phone line for long distance. Your local carrier simply throws your call to the network attributed to that dial-around code.

Keep the 10-10 dial-around code for your carrier someplace where you can’t lose it. If you have to print it on an adhesive label and stick it to the underside of your phone, or on the wall next to your phone system, do it.

Making a dial-around test call

After you determine the dial-around code for your long-distance carrier, try your problem call again by dialing the 10-10 code and the phone number. If your carrier is Sprint and you are having problems dialing someone in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, dial

10-10-333 + 1 + 414+ the phone number 

Always dial 1 between the dial-around code for your carrier and the phone number that is giving you problems. The call won’t work without it.

 Remember  Some phone systems purposely block your ability to use dial-around codes. If the call fails before you finish dialing all the digits for the phone number, your phone system is probably the cause. Either call your hardware vendor and find out whether you can use a bypass code, or locate a phone line that doesn’t go through your phone system and try the 10-10 code from there. Fax and modem lines are frequently left out of phone systems, so you may be able to use them for testing. If you do receive a bypass code for your phone system, it will probably be complex, convoluted, and might require several steps before you reach a dial tone from your local carrier.

If the call still fails in Step 3

If the call still fails in the same way it did before, the good news is that your local carrier is sending the call to your long-distance carrier just as it should. The bad news is that you still have the problem, so proceed to Step 4.

If Step 3 resolves the problem

If the call doesn’t fail when you dial using the dial-around code for your carrier, but it does fail when you call out directly, your local carrier is the most likely source of the problem. If you have a standard local carrier like Bell Atlantic or Verizon, you can just dial 611 on your phone and follow the voice prompts to be directed to the repair department. If you have a competing local exchange carrier (CLEC) such as Mpower, PAETEC, or US LEC, you have to find their phone number. If you are having problems finding their phone number, check out the section about finding and contacting your local carrier in Chapter 7.

International calls generally have a post dial delay (PDD) of 15 to 30 seconds. The PDD is the time after you finish dialing the phone number but before you hear the phone ring on the other side. You can generally reduce the PDD by as much as 12 seconds by using your carrier’s dial-around code. If you have international fax problems caused by the PDD, this might solve them.

Keeping your local carrier from passing the buck

 Tip  When you tell your local carrier that you have problems dialing a long-distance number, the customer service rep will quickly try to end the conversation and direct you to your long-distance provider. Typically, the local carrier’s rep is right to direct you to the long-distance carrier.

You can easily clarify the situation by telling the person that you dialed the number with the dial-around code and it completed, but that when you dial it without the code, the call fails. The customer service rep will then know that you have tested the issue and you know what you are talking about. As long as you continue to press this point, the rep will open a ticket for you and repair the issue. If you want to really impress the rep, tell him or her you completed a 700 test before you used the dial-around code.

Step 4: Dialing over another long-distance carrier

If you suspect that you have a long-distance issue, Step 4 enables you to redeem or condemn the long-distance carrier. Up until this point, you have simply validated that the call is reaching the correct long-distance network; now, you can remove your long-distance network from the call entirely and replace it with another carrier. You accomplish this task the same way you forced the call onto your long-distance carrier’s network (see Step 3, earlier in this chapter); this time, however, you use the dial-around code of another long-distance carrier. The section of a call isolated by this step is shown in Figure 12-3.

Figure 12-3: Dialing over another long-distance carrier.

Using 10-10 codes for international issues

 Tip  There is strange magic in the world of telecom that doesn’t make much sense to the logically minded. You use the dial-around code to reach the same entrance point into your long-distance carrier that your local carrier uses. For some reason, using the dial-around code seems to speed the connection of international calls.

You can choose among the following carriers:

• 10-10-288: AT&T

• 10-10-222: MCI

• 10-10-333: Sprint

 Tip  If you want to validate your carrier by sending your call over another network, try your calls over the strongest networks you can find. Sprint and AT&T have outstanding networks, as does MCI. If your call fails over Sprint, make two more test calls (one using MCI and the other using AT&T), just to confirm the local carrier that owns the phone number you are dialing is actually the problem and not your long-distance carrier’s network.

Making a dial-around test call with a different carrier

If you’re a Sprint user and you want to test a number in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to determine whether the call might work on the AT&T network (thereby proving that Sprint carrier is the source of your problem), dial

10-10-288+ 1 + 414 + the phone number 

 Warning!  If the call completes when you are trying it over one of these carriers, be aware of the fact that unless you are set up for casual dialing over this long-distance carrier’s network, you might be charged $0.55 per minute, with a $3.75 connection fee, or more. By all means, make that call if it’s important; just make it quick.

If the call still fails in Step 4

If you try to use one or more other long-distance carriers and the calls still fail, I can guarantee you that your long-distance carrier isn’t the problem. You still have three other areas left to troubleshoot, and Step 5 can possibly eliminate two of them.

If Step 4 allows you to complete your call

Completing your call over another long-distance carrier confirms that the source of the failure is within your long-distance network. Call your carrier and list all the tests you have tried, and their results. The representative you talk to might have to follow a troubleshooting script with prompts to ask for some of this information, but be sure to report your specific test information:

• The results of your 700 test

• The results of dialing out, using the 10-10 dial-around code

• The date, time, origination number, termination number, and call treatment of your failed call, as well as the call you made with the 10-10 dial-around code

• The name of the carrier whose network you used to complete the call

 Tip  Take notes, and be sure to write down the trouble ticket number and contact name and extension for the person you talk to. Follow up with the carrier every two hours to see how the situation is coming along.

Using Step 4 for international issues

Dialing out over another carrier is very helpful in troubleshooting international issues. If you can tell your carrier’s rep that the call is completing over AT&T and Sprint, he or she won’t worry that the problem originates in a foreign country.

 Remember  Some long-distance carriers have triggers in their networks to prevent fraud; frequently, those triggers involve international calls. I have never encountered a fraud block dialing out over Sprint, MCI, or AT&T, but if you use Qwest (its dial-around code is 10-10-432) to make an international test call, your call will probably be blocked from the Qwest network. The only way to remove the fraud block is to open an account with Qwest and sign up the specific phone number that is blocked. That’s a lot of work just to do a troubleshooting test that your long-distance carrier will probably do anyway.

 Warning!  The long-distance carrier whose 10-10 code you use will charge you quite a bit of money for completed calls. If you have to make an international call over another carrier, keep it short, or expect to pay the consequences.

Step 5: Dialing from another local carrier

The tests in the previous sections validate some of the handoff between your local and long-distance carrier, as well as the entire path of the call through your long-distance network. Although a handful of potential issues remain, only two of them are issues that you can take control of: they are your hardware and your local carrier. Unless you have been using the bypass code for your hardware to make the 10-10 calls, or you don’t have a phone system, your local carrier is still a possible source of the failure. By using a different local carrier, you can confirm or disprove whether your local carrier is routing your calls correctly. Figure 12-4 identifies the section of the call we are isolating during Step 5 of testing.

Figure 12-4: Testing the local carrier and phone system.

Making the test call over another local carrier

You can make this test as complex or a simple as you want. If you want to make it difficult, ask someone in another state to make the test call for you. If you want to make it easy, just grab a cellphone and dial the phone number you want to test. Technically, wireless providers are competing local exchange carriers (CLECs) and provide the same service as your local carrier. Unless you somehow have the same local carrier for your cellphone and your land lines, this test gives you a lot of information.

If Step 5 allows you to complete your call

If the call completes from your cellphone, your local carrier or your phone system is the cause of the problem. If you don’t have a phone system, or if you were bypassing all the routing within it for your test calls, the issue is probably with your local carrier. Even if you haven’t bypassed your phone system and you haven’t ruled it out as a source for the problem, open a trouble ticket with your local carrier anyway, providing the following information:

• The results of your 700 test

• The results of your dial-around tests, using your carrier’s code, and using the codes of other networks

• The time of your failed calls, the origination phone number, termination phone number, and call treatment

• The fact that you can complete the call from a telephone outside your phone system

If your local carrier doesn’t find any problems on your phone line, can access a dial tone from its central office switch, and can complete a call, the problem lies with your phone system. It’s time to call your hardware vendor.

 Tip  Keep the trouble ticket open with your local carrier so that when your hardware vendor arrives, he or she can conduct a head-to-head test with the carrier. In a head-to-head test, the hardware vendor can make test calls, and your local carrier can watch each digit come across the network as the technician dials them. Between these two people, your problem will be fixed.

If your call still fails in Step 5

If you have the same failure when you dial from a different local carrier, you know that nothing from your phone to the end of your long-distance network is causing the problem. In this case, there are only two potential trouble areas left: the local carrier that provides a dial tone to the phone number you are dialing and the phone system that receives your call. If you know that the person you are calling doesn’t have a phone system like a PBX or Key system handling their calls and providing features like voicemail (he or she uses plain old telephone service), the problem is most likely with his or her local carrier. If you aren’t sure what constitutes a phone system, you can find out more in Chapter 2. Consider any phone system other than a single-line phone plugged into the wall (or two tin cans connected by a piece of twine) as a phone system.

 Tip  This is when you have to decide exactly how much you want to make this call. If it’s not that important, try calling back in two or three days. The local carrier on the other end will eventually identify and repair the problem.