What is caller ID?

When a phone call is placed, the caller's telephone number is transmitted to the called party's telephone. The caller ID service may include the transmission of a name associated with the calling telephone number.

Before December 16, 2017, how does caller ID work at Cornell?

Cornell has a private telephone system and calls within Cornell's system transmit the calling number, name, and sometimes the location of the caller's phone. For most phones, calls to off-campus phone numbers have caller ID restricted. No information is transmitted, and the called party might see “restricted” or “private” if they have a caller ID service. There are some exceptions based on the configuration of the individual Cornell phone.

After December 16, 2017, how will caller ID work at Cornell?

Calls within Cornell's telephone system will remain the same. The calling number and name will continue to be transmitted. Calls from your Cornell phone to off-campus numbers will transmit only the phone number, not your name or location. Some carriers will insert “Cornell University” in the name field when delivering caller ID to off-campus phone numbers.

Why is this change necessary?

All modern 911 systems are separate systems that are external to Cornell's telephone system. They all require the calling party's phone number in order to look up the location in Cornell's 911 location database.

What will people see when I call them from my Cornell phone?

If you call someone on campus, the caller ID information remains the same. If they have a digital phone, it will display the name, phone number, and location associated with your Cornell phone. If you have a VoIP phone, they will see the name and phone number associated with your Cornell phone.

If you call someone who is not on the campus phone system, they will see the phone number of your Cornell phone. Cornell does not transmit the name or location assigned to the phone. However, some carriers will insert “Cornell University” in the name field when delivering caller ID to off-campus phone numbers.

What if I want to block my caller ID for off-campus calls?

Any user can block caller ID on a per-call basis. First, listen for the dial tone, then dial 116 before placing the call as you normally would. For example, a 1-800 number might be dialed as 116 + 9 + 1-800-555-5555.

To permanently block caller ID for off-campus calls, please contact your telecommunications coordinator. If you don't know who that is, check with your department's administrative assistant or your building coordinator, or ask the IT Service Desk. By requesting a permanent caller ID block, you are asserting that you accept the risk that Cornell Police will not know your location if you call 911 from that phone number.

If your office has a main office phone number, you may request a Custom Caller ID for $2.20 per line per month, plus a one-time service add, change, or disconnect fee. See the Voice and Data Rates Catalog for more information. When you call an off-campus number, the main office number will be transmitted instead of your assigned phone number. This only affects external calls. Calls to other phones within the Cornell telephone system will see your full caller ID information. Please contact your department manager for a Custom Caller ID option. They can request an office configuration from the IT Service Desk: Voice, Video, Data at ncs-os@cornell.edu.

What if I want to block my caller ID for on-campus calls?

This is not possible within Cornell's telephone system. There is no feature to turn it off. The name, number, and location (if available) is always sent.

How is the caller location data maintained in the 911 system?

For standard analog and digital phones, the 911 database information (phone number, name, location) is loaded nightly from the Cornell Pinnacle system as phones are assigned, moved, or deleted.

For VoIP phones, there is no location recorded in the Pinnacle system as they can be moved and plugged in at other locations. A nightly process is run to identify the location of the phone on Cornell's data network. This information is passed on to the 911 database.

Would the location data be more accurate if I called 911 on my cell phone?

The GPS coordinates on your cell phone only indicate the approximate location within 150 feet of where you actually are at ground level. They do not provide building floor information.

If you dial 911 on your cell phone, your cell phone carrier sends the call to the Tompkins County 911 dispatch. If the GPS coordinates indicate that the phone is at Cornell, dispatch will transfer the call to the Cornell University Police. There is no location information provided, so you should provide your name and location immediately to the Cornell Police.

I use My Extension Everywhere (EC500). How does this change affect me?

My Extension Everywhere is a feature within the Cornell telephone system. It is not involved with outbound calls and will not be affected by the caller ID change.

This feature will continue to work the same. For example, when you call a Cornell phone number from a cell phone that is paired with your desk phone using My Extension Everywhere, the Cornell phone system will provide your desk phone caller ID information to to the called party's telephone. If you call a non-Cornell phone number with your cell phone, the called party will see your cell phone number. In addition, when you call 911 from your cell phone, your cell phone carrier will send the call to the Tompkins County 911 dispatch (see the previous question).

I have an analog phone and cannot see the caller ID. How does this change affect me?

You don't have to see the caller ID. The change affects when you call someone else off campus. If you call an on-campus phone number, the called party will be sent the caller number and name assigned to your analog phone. If you call an off-campus phone number, the called party will be sent the phone number of your analog phone.

I have a vector for incoming calls that sends the calls to several people. Can I use the main number for the vector as the caller ID for all the phones in the vector?

When users in the vector place calls to phones within the Cornell system, their phone number and name is transmitted to the called party, not the main vector number. This will not change. However, when users in the vector call an off-campus number, there is an option to replace the caller's phone number with the main number of the vector for $2.20 per line per month, plus a one-time service add, change, or disconnect fee. See the Voice and Data Rates Catalog for more information. This option is called Custom Caller ID. Please contact your telecommunications coordinator if you would like to discuss your vector configuration. If a Custom Caller ID is chosen, your department manager can request an office configuration from the IT Service Desk: Voice, Video, Data at ncs-os@cornell.edu.

I have a Bridged Appearance on my phone. How does this change affect me?

A Bridged Appearance is a shared phone number and typically used in an office setting where an administrative assistant answers the calls. The administrative assistant's phone number can also be present as an additional line on a digital phone of other people in that office. If that line is chosen for an outgoing call, the administrative assistant's phone number will be displayed as the caller ID for both on- and off-campus calls. This does nothing to the caller ID of the original number also present on the phone as the original line.

Please note that when someone calls the administrative assistant's number, both phones will ring since the line is present in both places. Please contact your telecommunications coordinator if you would like to discuss your phone configurations.

Can I have a different number displayed when I call off campus?

If your office has a main office phone number, you may request a Custom Caller ID for $2.20 per line per month, plus a one-time service add, change, or disconnect fee. See the Voice and Data Rates Catalog for more information. With Custom Caller ID, when you call an off-campus number, the main office phone number will be transmitted instead of your assigned phone number. This only affects external calls. Calls to other phones within the Cornell telephone system will see your full caller ID information. Please contact your department manager with any concerns. They can request an office configuration from the IT Service Desk: Voice, Video, Data at ncs-os@cornell.edu.

What is a Custom Caller ID?

If your office has a main office phone number, you may request a Custom Caller ID for $2.20 per line per month, plus a one-time service add, change, or disconnect fee. See the Voice and Data Rates Catalog for more information. With Custom Caller ID, when you call an off-campus number, the main office phone number will be transmitted instead of your assigned phone number. This only affects external calls. Calls to other phones within the Cornell telephone system will see your full caller ID information. Please contact your department manager with any concerns. They can request an office configuration from the IT Service Desk: Voice, Video, Data at ncs-os@cornell.edu.