On Hold Messaging

A phone message is a stored voice message that the subscriber is played automatically. They usually transmitted to the subscriber certain network or subscriber-side information and can also call to interaction.

Examples of phone announcements are information to the caller through a delayed accessibility, inaccessibility or absence of the called party, sometimes the caller can leave a message.

The announcements are configured either by an answering machine, voice mail system (VMS ), telephone system or Audiotex system individually by the participant or switched by the network operators and network-based announcements. There are now mainly digitally stored messages only in older answering machines on the subscriber side are still isolated analog tapes in use.

Distinction

In telecommunication systems is in general between fixed prompts ( English: fixed announcements ) and variable prompts ( English: variable announcements ) are different. Fixed announcements consist of a fixed text and can even be several times or played endlessly. Variable announcements consist of fixed and variable parts announcements, such as the naming of time, currency, and other situational variables. They are combined into a message and played back.

Network operator prompts

The in German telephone networks of telephone companies switched usual free switching- phone announcements:

The network operator announcements are usually combined with appropriate call progress tones, such as advisory ( 3-tone sequence), announcement 3 brief break, busy tone.

Paid non-availability announcement

As of 2005, the German mobile operator SMS notification services established about missed calls, and switch the Call info via SMS since then without being asked all its customers with disabled voicemail on. Callers to such mobile terminals receive an extended non-availability announcement with the following content: "User is temporarily unavailable, but will be informed by SMS about her call. " Announcements of this form will be billed to the caller (even from a landline) mostly as a chargeable call (except for calls to the E- Plus network ), which drew sustained criticism from consumer advocates by itself. According to a judgment of the District Court Ulm in July 2006 charging the expenses for non-availability announcements is prohibited, but this was ignored by the service providers. Even less clear is the invoicing of the busy - even when rejecting ( pushing away ) of the caller from the callee - as for the caller paid connection, which found its way on calls to E -Plus postpaid contract customers. The mobile phone companies justify the unsolicited intrusion of services with the allegedly high level of acceptance because few mobile subscribers can disable the notification service for calls to your own mobile phone number. Consumer advocates argue, however, this stems from the fact that only few consumers were aware of the callers costs incurred by the non-availability announcements, and advise, where appropriate, with calls in the networks of Vodafone and O2 to prevent the paid announcements by CLIR and corresponding telephone company bill Asked connection fees for such announcements recovered.