Vertical service code: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 08:57, 5 October 2023

Revision as of 05:21, 25 June 2024

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{{use American English|date=September 2022}}

{{use MDY dates|date=September 2022}}

A '''vertical service code''' ('''VSC''') is a sequence of digits and the signals [[asterisk|star]] (*) and [[number sign|pound/hash]] (#) dialed on a [[telephone keypad]][phone] or [[rotary dial]] to access certain telephone service features.<ref name=":0" /> Some vertical service codes require dialing of a [[telephone number]] after the code sequence. On a [[touch tone]] telephone, the codes are usually initiated with the [[Asterisk#Telephony|star key]], resulting in the commonly used name ''star codes''. On rotary dial telephones, the star is replaced by dialing ''11''.

In [[North American]] [[telephony]], VSCs were developed by the [[American Telephone and Telegraph Company]] (AT&T) as '''Custom Local Area Signaling Services''' (CLASS or LASS) codes in the 1960s and 70s. Their use became ubiquitous throughout the 1990s and eventually became a recognized standard. As ''CLASS'' was an AT&T trademark, the term ''vertical service code'' was adopted by the [[North American Numbering Plan Administration]]. The use of ''vertical'' is a somewhat dated reference to older switching methods and the fact that these services can only be accessed by a telephone subscriber, going up (''vertically'') inside the local [[telephone exchange|central office]] instead of out (''horizontally'') to another telephone company.