In this article, we will cover Universal Network-Level Call Blocking and how it affects your TekSavvy phone service.
What is Universal Call Blocking?
Universal Network-Level Call Blocking is a solution intended to reduce the number of unwanted illegitimate phone calls that Canadians receive. Incoming calls in which the caller ID does not conform to established numbering plans, like the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), will be blocked. Universal Call Blocking offers a level of protection against nuisance calls by blocking blatantly illegitimate calls from reaching millions of Canadians.
Universal Call Blocking will block the following types of incoming calls where:
The caller ID for internationally originated calls contains less than 3 digits or exceeds 15 digits.
The caller ID contains a number that does not conform to a valid format under the NANP, such as:
Numbers that are not 10 digits, with the exception of 7-digit telephone numbers with NXXs 310, 610 and 810 (i.e. 310-XXXX);
Calls coming from a single number (i.e. 111-111-1111);
Calls coming from an invalid area code;
Calls from a number that contain a 0 or 1 in the fourth position of the telephone number (i.e. XXX-0XX-XXXX and XXX-1XX-XXXX); and
Calls originating from the same telephone number as the person being called.
This implementation of universal call blocking should not affect expected calls. If you notice that you are no longer receiving calls that you would typically receive, please reach out to us. Our team will investigate the matter for you.
Can customers block their own calls?
Yes! Both TekTalk and POTS customers can manage their own blocked calls using the privacy features below.
TekTalk
Anonymous Call Rejection
This feature directs all incoming calls with a blocked caller ID to a standardized message, then the call is disconnected.
To enable this feature, dial *77. To disable this feature, press *87.
When this feature is enabled, the caller will hear:
English “We’re sorry, the party you are trying to reach is not accepting calls from private numbers. Please hang up, reverse your number privacy and try again.”
French "La personne que vous appelez n’accepte pas les appels avec numero confidential. Veuiller recomposer de nouveau sans tenir votre numero confidential."
TekTalk Premium and Unlimited customers can use the TekTalk Portal to forward anonymous calls to their voicemail after the standardized message, in addition to setting automatic time periods when this feature is enabled.
Selective Call Rejection
This feature allows customers to create a list of up to 50 phone numbers that will always have their calls rejected (a user-defined “blacklist”). These incoming calls are disconnected.
To enable this feature, dial *60. To disable this feature, press *80.
When this feature is enabled, the caller will hear:
English “We’re sorry, the person you are calling is not accepting calls from you.”
French "Nous regretons, la personne que vous tenter de joinder n’accepte pas vos appel à ce mement."
TekTalk Premium and Unlimited customers can use the TekTalk Portal to customize how calls from their user-defined blacklist are handled. For example, calls can be forwarded directly to voicemail, they can request that callers state their name before connecting the call (only available with Advanced Voicemail), or they can forward calls to another number.
POTS
Call Privacy
Call Privacy requires callers from blocked or unknown numbers to identify themselves. Callers will need to enter their 10-digit number or release their number by pressing pound (#) before their call will ring through. A “Friends & Family Passcode” and a “Selective Acceptance List” can be set up to allow certain callers to quickly bypass this feature, allowing the call to ring through without being intercepted.
To use this feature, press *11 (or 1111 on rotary phones with a visual display) and follow the voice prompts.
The Call Display feature is required (at an additional cost) to use Call Privacy.
The Call Privacy feature is $3.00 per month.