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59-429: Before the advent of emergency telephone numbers , operators identified and connected emergency calls to the correct emergency services . Directory assistance was also part of the operator's job. In the early days of telephony all calls were connected by an operator. Later, local calls could typically be dialed directly, but long-distance and international calls had to be connected by an operator, often subject to

118-411: A SIM card. For example, to decrease the risk of nuisance calls , French and British networks typically do not allow emergency calls without a SIM card. The GSM phones may regard some phone numbers with one or two digits as special service codes. It might be impossible to make an emergency call to numbers like 03 or 92 with a mobile phone. In those cases the emergency number has to be called by using

177-405: A central location at a designated time to receive a phone call. An operator-assisted conference call is one in which the conference call is managed by an operator. The telephone operator will greet each call participant, gather specific information from each participant, introduce key speakers, and manage questions and answers, all from the telephone. A third number call or third party call

236-638: A centre. In the most remote communities, two 0s had to be used to reach a main centre; thus dialing 0+0, plus another 0 would call (at least) an operator. Zero is closest to the finger stall on Australian rotary dial phones, so it was easy to dial in darkness. The Telecommunications Numbering Plan 1997, also administered by ACMA, specifies that: 1122 is an emergency telephone number in Pakistan. It can be used to call for fire and medical emergencies. The International Telecommunication Union has officially set two standard emergency phone numbers for countries to use in

295-415: A database, and mobile callers through triangulation from towers or GPS on the device. This is often specifically mandated in a country's telecommunication law. When an emergency happened in the pre-dial (or "manual") telephone era, the user simply picked up the telephone receiver and waited for the operator to answer "number, please?". The user then responded with "get me the police", "I'm calling to report

354-473: A fire", or "I need an ambulance/doctor". Even in large cities, it was seldom necessary to ask for these services by number. In small towns, operators frequently provided additional services, knowing where to reach doctors, veterinarians, law enforcement personnel and firefighters at all times. Frequently, the operator was also responsible for activating the town's fire alarm. When manual switching systems began to be replaced by automatic, or "dial" systems, there

413-664: A harsh boss, they were reasonably compensated at $ 50 a month. While many of the functions of the switchboard and operator have been automated, telephone operators still play a role in some contexts, such as in emergency services or customer support centers. Thus according to a 1995 study by Muller et al., the operators who provide directory assistance, "serve as experts in a variety of domains of relevance to their customers' lives, helping them to navigate through government agencies, complex business hierarchies, partially remembered geographies, and dynamic changes in their customers' worlds." The most famous group of American operators were in

472-729: A landline telephone or with an additional first/last digit (for example 922 or 992 instead of 92 and 003 or 033 instead of 03). In the United States, the FCC requires networks to route every mobile-phone and payphone 911 call to an emergency service call center, including phones that have never had service, or whose service has lapsed. As a result, there are programs that provide donated used mobile phones to victims of domestic violence and others especially likely to need emergency services. Since 2020, emergency responders have been able to better locate callers who dial 911 on their cellphones from indoors as

531-582: A long distance or special number call.) The first 911 emergency phone system went into use by the Alabama Telephone Company in Haleyville, Alabama in 1968. On February 16, 1968, the first-ever 9-1-1 call was placed by Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite, from Haleyville City Hall, to U.S. Rep. Tom Bevill, at the city's police station. However, 911 systems were not in widespread use until

590-468: A minimum charge, typically for three minutes. Eventually it became possible to direct-dial all calls, but operator assistance continued to be available, often at higher cost, for all calls; in the US Bell System an operator-assisted call had a 50% premium for the first three minutes. A station-to-station call is an operator-assisted call in which the calling party agrees to talk to whoever answers

649-435: A standard on 29 July 1991. It is now a valid emergency number throughout EU countries and in many other CEPT countries. It works in parallel with other local emergency numbers in about two out of three EU states. Southern California Telephone Co. began using 116 as an emergency line for Los Angeles , California in 1946. 119 is an emergency telephone number in countries like for example China, Japan and South Korea. 120

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708-445: A traveller visiting a foreign country does not have to know the local emergency numbers. The mobile phone and the SIM card have a preprogrammed list of emergency numbers. When the user tries to set up a call using an emergency number known by a GSM or 3G phone, the special emergency call setup takes place. The actual number is not even transmitted into the network, but the network redirects

767-423: A vertical panel containing an array of jacks with a desk in front. The desk has a row of switches and two rows of plugs attached to cables that retract into the desk when not in use. Each pair of plugs was part of a cord circuit with a switch associated that let the operator participate in the call or ring the circuit for an incoming call. Each jack had a light above it that lit when the customer's telephone receiver

826-415: Is an operator assisted telephone call that can be billed to the party other than the calling and called party. The operator calls the third number for the party to accept the charges before the call can proceed. Time and charges was a service that could be requested of an operator before a call began. After completion of the call, the operator called back and stated the duration of the call (in minutes) and

885-453: Is no access to the home network. Dialing a known emergency number like 112 forces the phone to try the call with any available network. On some networks, a GSM phone without a SIM card may be used to make emergency calls, and most GSM phones accept a larger list of emergency numbers without SIM card, such as 112 , 911 , 118 , 119 , 000 , 110 , 08 , and 999 . However, some GSM networks will not accept emergency calls from phones without

944-585: Is the emergency telephone number for ambulance service in China. 122 is an emergency telephone number in several countries. For example, it is used for fire emergencies in Austria, for traffic emergencies in China, and for police emergencies in Egypt. Prior to 1969, Australia lacked a national number for emergency services; the police, fire and ambulance services possessed many phone numbers, one for each local unit. In 1961,

1003-718: Is then determined. If the call has been answered by a telephone operator, they then connect the call to the appropriate emergency service, who then dispatches the appropriate help. In the case of multiple services being needed on a call, the most urgent need must be determined, with other services being called in as needed. Emergency dispatchers are trained to control the call in order to provide help in an appropriate manner; they can be assisted by computer aided call handling systems (CACH). The emergency dispatcher may find it necessary to give urgent advice in life-threatening situations. Some dispatchers have special training in telling people how to perform first aid or CPR . In many parts of

1062-543: Is typically a three-digit number so that it can be easily remembered and dialed quickly. Some countries have a different emergency number for each of the different emergency services; these often differ only by the last digit. In many countries, dialing either 112 (used in Europe and parts of Asia, Africa and South America) or 911 (used mostly in the Americas) will connect callers to emergency services. For individual countries, see

1121-663: The Equal Pay Act of 1963 . Harriot Daley became the first telephone switchboard operator at the United States Capitol in 1898. Julia O'Connor , a former telephone operator, led the Telephone Operators' Strike of 1919 and the Telephone Operators' Strike of 1923 against New England Telephone Company on behalf of the IBEW Telephone Operators' Department for better wages and working conditions. In

1180-424: The list of emergency telephone numbers . The emergency telephone number is a special case in the country's telephone number plan. In the past, calls to the emergency telephone number were often routed over special dedicated circuits. Though with the advent of electronic exchanges these calls are now often mixed with ordinary telephone traffic, they still may be able to access circuits that other traffic cannot. Often

1239-996: The "Women of the Signal Corps Female Telephone Operators Unit" of the American Expeditionary Forces in 1917–1919. They were bilingual female switchboard operators sent to France in the World War I. The 223 women were known informally as Hello Girls and were not formally recognized for their military service until 1978. In actuality, operators were rule-followers, but according to April Middeljans, in American drama, film, and magazines, they were often portrayed as rule-breaking rebels who challenged societal norms. Through disaster tales, detective stories, and romantic comedies, fiction writers suggest that operators were not just controlled by society, but rather played an active role in regulating it and shaping

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1298-459: The 1919 strike, after five days, Postmaster General Burleson agreed to negotiate an agreement between the union and the telephone company, resulting in an increase in pay for the operators and recognition of the right to bargain collectively . However, the 1923 strike was called off after less than a month without achieving any of its goals. In 1983, in Bryant Pond, Maine , Susan Glines became

1357-446: The 1920s to reduce labor costs as usage increased, and to ensure privacy to the customer. As phone systems became more sophisticated, less direct intervention by the telephone operator was necessary to complete calls. With the development of computerized telephone dialing systems, many telephone calls which previously required live operators could be placed directly by calling parties without additional human intervention. As well as

1416-638: The 1970s. France now uses 112, the European emergency number, as well as 17 and 18 for police and fire brigade, specific to France. 110 is the emergency telephone number for the police in China, Japan, and Germany. The emergency number 111 was adopted in New Zealand in 1955 and was first implemented in Masterton and Carterton in September 1958. New Zealand telephones had their rotary dials numbered in reverse to

1475-523: The 1980s when the number 911 was adopted as the standard number across most of the country under the North American Numbering Plan . The implementation of 911 service in the US was a gradual and haphazard process. Because telephone service boundaries did not always exactly match governmental and other jurisdictional boundaries, a user might dial 911, only to discover that they had been connected to

1534-578: The 1980s with electronic or digital systems eliminated the problem of older switches that would not recognize 911. At this point, 911 service is available in most of North America, but there are still small, sparsely-populated, or remote areas (such as Nunavut and the Northwest Territories in Canada's Arctic ) that do not have it. Gradually, various problems were overcome; "smart" or " enhanced 911 " systems were developed that not only would display

1593-464: The U.S. wireless industry improved caller-location for the majority of such calls. The "heightened location accuracy," available to supporting networks and handsets, can find callers through nearby devices connected to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth that are logged with a specific location in a special emergency-services database. Mobile phones generate additional problems for emergency operators, as many phones will allow emergency numbers to be dialed even while

1652-505: The UK and most of the world, with the number 1 on New Zealand rotary phones in the same position as the number 9 on British rotary phones. Dialling 111 would be recognised by the British-built step-by-step exchanges then used as a 999 emergency call, which would route the call accordingly. The CEPT recommended the use of 112 in 1972. The European Union subsequently adopted the 112 number as

1711-427: The advent of automatic exchanges , an operator's assistance was required for anything other than calling telephones across a shared party line . Callers spoke to an operator at a central office who then connected a cord to the proper circuit in order to complete the call. Being in complete control of the call, the operator was in a position to listen to private conversations. Automatic, or dial, systems were developed in

1770-400: The caller's number and address at the dispatch center but also could be configured so that 911 calls were automatically routed to the correct dispatch center, regardless of what central office the caller was served from. In the United States, most cities have E911 systems either in use, or in their emergency systems design plans. In France , many telephone exchanges were closed at night but it

1829-457: The charge. It was sometimes used by guests to reimburse hosts for use of their telephone, and was almost always required by hotel switchboard operators to charge room guests for calls they made—modern telephone systems do this automatically. Emergency telephone number An emergency telephone number is a number that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assistance. The emergency number differs from country to country; it

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1888-451: The design of U.S. central office (phone) switches, it was not practical to use the British emergency number 999 (as was briefly considered). What was up to that time unassigned area code 911 was chosen instead. The "1" as the second digit was key; it told the switching equipment that this was not a routine call. (At the time, when the second digit was "1" or "0" the equipment handled the call as

1947-557: The early 1920s. It was attractive opportunity for ambitious young women in a small logging town out West who needed money for college. The role demanded quick decision-making, meticulous attention to detail, a very good memory for names, and the ability to handle criticism. Switchboard technology was a physically demanding task, involving numerous plugs, keys, lights, connecting cords, and complicated protocols for establishing connections. The full-time operators were on duty 56 hours per week, and while they often grumbled about being overworked by

2006-418: The early days of telephony , companies used manual telephone switchboards , and switchboard operators connected calls by inserting a pair of phone plugs into the appropriate jacks. They were gradually phased out and replaced by automated systems, first those allowing direct dialing within a local area, then for long-distance and international direct dialing . A typical manual telephone switchboard has

2065-462: The emergency call to the local emergency desk. Most GSM mobile phones can dial emergency numbers even when the phone keyboard is locked, the phone is without a SIM card , emergency number is entered instead of the PIN or there is not a network signal (busy network). Most GSM mobile phones have 112 , 999 and 911 as pre-programmed emergency numbers that are always available. The SIM card issued by

2124-450: The employment prospects of young women overall, as future cohorts of young women entered into other growing economic sectors. Before the 1960s, the telephone exchange with telephone switchboards and operators played a crucial role in connecting phone calls. A telephone switchboard is a device that allows telephone lines to be interconnected, enabling the routing of calls between different phones or phone networks. The switchboard operator

2183-537: The employment setting, the roles and level of responsibilities of a PBX operator can vary greatly, from performing wake-up calls in a hotel to coordinating emergency responses, dispatching, and overhead paging in hospitals. Operators employed in healthcare settings may have other duties, such as data entry , greeting patients and visitors, taking messages, triaging, or performing after-hours answering service . Experienced, well-trained operators generally command higher salaries. In January 1878 George Willard Croy became

2242-463: The exchange to attract an operator's attention. The emergency number 999 was adopted in Winnipeg , Manitoba , Canada in 1959 at the urging of Stephen Juba , mayor of Winnipeg at the time. The city changed the number to 911 in 1972, in order to be consistent with the newly adopted U.S. emergency number. Several other countries besides the UK have adopted 999 as their emergency number. Because of

2301-691: The future. AP reports that member states have agreed that either 911 or 112 should be designated as emergency phone numbers – 911 is currently used in North America, while 112 is standard across the EU and in many other countries worldwide. In January 2008, the Internet Engineering Task Force released a set of RFC documents pertaining to emergency calls in IP networks. Mobile phones can be used in countries with different emergency numbers. This means that

2360-423: The introduction of direct dial telephone service and the subsequent drop in the price of long distance telephone calls , person-to-person service has virtually disappeared. A messenger call has been used in countries in which home telephones are unusual, and before the boom in cell phones in the early 21st century. A messenger, usually a boy, would go to the recipient's location to advise him or her to come to

2419-409: The keypad is locked. Since mobile phones are typically carried in pockets and small bags, the keys can easily be depressed accidentally, leading to unintended calls . A system has been developed in the UK to connect calls where the caller is sent to an automated system, leaving more operators free to handle genuine emergency calls. As earlier telephone systems used loop disconnect dialing , attention

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2478-463: The last switchboard operator for a hand-crank phone when that exchange was converted. Manual central office switchboards continued in operation at rural points like Kerman, California , and Wanaaring, New South Wales , as late as 1991, but these were central-battery systems with no hand-cranked magnetos. According to a 2024 study, the mechanization of switchboard operations harmed the economic outcomes of incumbent telephone operators, but did not harm

2537-499: The number "9" on the dial in darkened, or smoke-filled, rooms, by locating and placing the first finger in the "0" and the second in the "9", then removing the first when actually dialling. Some people have reported accidentally dialing 112 by loop-disconnect for various technical reasons, including while working on extension telephone wiring, and point to this as a disadvantage of the 112 emergency number, which takes only four loop-disconnects to activate. Switchboard operator In

2596-542: The office of the Postmaster General (PMG) introduced the Triple Zero (000) number in major population centres and near the end of the 1980s extended its coverage to nationwide. The number Triple Zero (000) was chosen for several reasons: technically, it suited the dialing system for the most remote automatic exchanges, particularly outback Queensland. These communities used the digit 0 to select an automatic trunk line to

2655-546: The operator can contain additional country-specific emergency numbers that can be used even when roaming abroad. The GSM network can also update the list of well-known emergency numbers when the phone registers to it. Using an emergency number recognized by a GSM phone like 112 instead of another emergency number may be advantageous, since GSM phones and networks give special priority to emergency calls. A phone dialing an emergency service number not recognized by it may refuse to roam onto another network, leading to trouble if there

2714-472: The people that were employed by the public networks, operators were required at private branch exchanges (PBX) to answer incoming calls and connect them to the correct extensions . Today, most large organizations have direct inward dialing , or direct dial-in . Smaller workplaces may have an automated system which allows callers to enter the extension number of the called party, or a receptionist who answers calls and performs operator duties. Depending on

2773-422: The system is set up so that once a call is made to an emergency telephone number, it must be answered. Should the caller abandon the call, the line may still be held until the emergency service answers and releases the call. An emergency telephone number call may be answered by either a telephone operator or an emergency service dispatcher . The nature of the emergency ( police , fire , medical , coast guard )

2832-606: The telephone directory of the New England Telephone Company . More women began to replace men within this sector of the workforce for several reasons. The companies observed that women were generally more courteous to callers, and women's labor was cheap in comparison to men's. Specifically, women were paid from one half to one quarter of a man's salary. In the United States, any switchboard operator employed by any independently owned public telephone company with no more than seven hundred fifty stations were excluded from

2891-511: The telephone network. Dial phones were invented in the 1930s but took years to become standard. New Hampshire switched to dials town by town from 1950 to 1973. Switchboards and operators were an integral part of the telecommunications system until the introduction of electronic switching systems in the mid-20th century. Dorothy M. Johnson , who later became a famous writer, started as a part-time relief operator at age 14 in Whitefish, Montana , in

2950-442: The telephone. A person-to-person call is an operator-assisted call in which the calling party requires to speak to a specific named party and not simply to anyone who answers. The caller is only charged for the call, which is subject to extra cost than station-to-station, from the moment the requested party is reached, and not charged at all if unreachable. This method was popular when telephone calls were relatively expensive. Since

3009-508: The user dialed the full number for the Police or Fire Department. This system remained essentially unchanged throughout most of North America until the 1970s. The first emergency number system to be deployed anywhere in the world was in London on 30 June 1937 using the number 999, and this was later extended to cover the entire country. When 999 was dialed, a buzzer sounded and a red light flashed in

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3068-515: The world's first telephone operator when he started working for the Boston Telephone Dispatch company. Emma Nutt became the first female telephone operator on 1 September 1878 when she started working for the Boston Telephone Dispatch company, because the attitude and behaviour of the teenage boys previously employed as operators was unacceptable. Emma was hired by Alexander Graham Bell and, reportedly, could remember every number in

3127-408: The world, an emergency service can identify the telephone number that a call has been placed from. This is normally done using the system that the telephone company uses to bill calls, making the number visible even for users who have unlisted numbers or who block caller ID . Enhanced 911 and similar systems like E112 can provide the location of landline callers by looking up the physical address in

3186-521: The wrong dispatch center because they had telephone service from one location but lived within the boundaries of another jurisdiction. Electromechanical switching equipment still in use made it difficult to adapt to recognize 911, especially in small towns and rural areas where the call might have to be switched over a considerable distance. For this reason, there are still county sheriff departments that have toll-free "800" area code numbers. The rapid replacement of electromechanical switching systems in

3245-403: Was a person who manually connected calls by plugging and unplugging cords on the switchboard. The role of the switchboard and operator was important because they were responsible for connecting callers with the correct party and ensuring that calls were completed correctly. They also provided assistance with making long-distance calls, directory assistance, and other services related to the use of

3304-420: Was devoted to avoiding the number being dialed accidentally by errant interruptions of the circuits by making them involve long sequences of pulses, such as with the UK 999 emergency number. This meant that "111" could not be used: "111" dialing could accidentally take place when phone lines were in too close proximity to each other. Subscribers, as they were called then, were even given instructions on how to find

3363-487: Was frequently concern among users that the very personalized emergency service provided by manual operators would be lost. Because numbers were different for every exchange, callers either had to dial the operator or look up the telephone number. This problem was at least partially solved in Canada, the UK, and the US by dialing "0" for the local assistance operator in case of emergency, although faster service could be obtained if

3422-535: Was lifted (the earliest systems required the customer to hand-crank a magneto to alert the central office and, later, to "ring off" the completed call). Lines from the central office were usually arranged along the bottom row. Before the advent of operator distance dialing and customer direct dial (DDD) calling, a switchboard operator would work with their counterparts in distant central office to complete long-distance calls . Switchboard operators are typically required to have very strong communication skills. Before

3481-399: Was still possible to make emergency calls. An operator had to connect the emergency calls only. In 1913, an automatic system was set up. It made provision for calling the police by dialing 17 and the fire brigade by dialing 18. As more manual telephone exchanges were converted to dial operation, more and more subscribers had access to these special numbers. The service was not widespread until

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