Automatic ring back

Automatic ring back is a service offered by phone companies.

Normally, when a person's line is busy, one has to call back every few minutes to check if their line is free yet. With automatic ring back, a code can be dialed into the telephone keypad to enable ringback. Then, when their line is free, the original caller's phone rings with a distinctive ring so that one knows it is automatic ring back and not a regular call. When the phone is picked up, it calls the other number since the line is now free.

In the UK the service is also known as Ringback.

In the United States the service is often called Auto Redial.

In the United States Army on post wide communications networks this is referred to as Callback or Automatic Callback.

See also

• Camp-on busy signal
• Vertical service code