VoIP glossary
What is Tech prefix?
A tech prefix is a short string of digits added to the front of a dialled number so the provider knows which account, route or rate plan the call belongs to.
Tech prefix explained
Wholesale providers often use tech prefixes when one customer IP sends traffic for several products. The customer might send 1001 before numbers that should use the CLI route and 2002 before those for the standard route. The provider strips the prefix and routes the call accordingly.
Prefixes are added in the outbound route or dial plan of your PBX or softswitch. If calls start failing with 404 or 403 after a configuration change, check that the prefix is still being added and that the number after it is in E.164.
Example
To use the premium UK route, the softswitch sends 7788447700900123: prefix 7788 followed by the E.164 number 447700900123.
Put it into practice
Prepaid SIP trunks and wholesale routes from $200. Ask sales for rates or the NOC for a technical answer.