Different telephone carriers charge different rates for calls placed to different areas. Your PBX may use different telephone carriers to make calls to different areas in an effort to reduce costs. Automatic Route Selection (ARS) is a feature which automatically selects different carriers each time a CO line call is made. In order to use ARS effectively, various ARS-related tables must be preprogrammed to tell the PBX which calls should be placed using which carriers, during which time of day. If you do not activate ARS, if ARS is bypassed, or if you do not use multiple carriers, CO line calls will be connected via the carrier contracted for each line (default carrier).

[Carrier Selection Procedure Flowchart] The numbers in parentheses indicate the corresponding items found under [Programming Procedures] on the following pages.

[Programming Procedures]

1.	ARS Mode ( ARS Mode [320]) ARS is turned on by selecting under which circumstances it operates — either when an extension user makes a call using the Idle Line Access method, or when any CO Line Access method is used. ( 1.5.5.3 CO Line Access). ARS can also be turned off for the entire system.
2.	Leading Number Exception Table Once ARS is activated, store the telephone numbers that will bypass ARS in the Leading Number Exception Table. Note that the first few digits (leading number) of a telephone number, such as an area code or local exchange, can also be stored, so that all calls to those areas or exchanges are exempted from ARS. Also note that the CO Line Access number is always ignored by ARS and does not need to be programmed here. Calls that are exempt from ARS are connected to the user-selected line, via the default carrier for that line.
	[Programming Example: ARS Leading Number Exception Table] *1 ARS Exception Number [325]
	In this example: 555, 556, and 567 are local exchanges. (555-XXXX, 556-XXXX, 567-XXXX) These calls can be made using any carrier, and are therefore exempt from ARS.
3.	Leading Number Table Next, store the leading numbers of telephone numbers that should be routed by ARS, and assign a Routing Plan to each leading number that will control how calls containing these leading numbers are routed. When an extension user dials a number which contains a leading number stored in the ARS Leading Number Table, the call will be routed the corresponding Routing Plan assigned here. Note that the CO Line Access number is always ignored by ARS and does not need to be programmed here. Before programming the details of each Routing Plan (explained below), you can simply assign here the same Routing Plan number to all the different leading numbers which will be routed the same way. If a dialed number matches two or more leading numbers stored in the ARS Leading Number Table, the lowest numbered location will have priority.
	[Programming Example: ARS Leading Number Table]
	*1 ARS Leading Number [321] *2 ARS Routing Plan Table Number [322]
	Additional Number of Digits In order for calls to be made using the desired carrier, telephone numbers dialed by extension users must be modified to meet the criteria required by the carrier. (Refer to 5. Carrier Table.) This modification usually involves removing digits and adding access codes to the beginning of the dialed number. In situations where a preprogrammed number (such as an Itemized Billing Code) must be added automatically after the telephone number that was dialed by the extension user, set the Additional Number of Digits to a value greater than 0.
4.	Routing Plan Since the preferred carrier may vary depending on the time of day, you can create an ARS-specific time table and break each day of the week into different time blocks. A different carrier can then be assigned to each time block.
	Routing Plan Time Table: For each Routing Plan, a different carrier can be assigned for each time of day and each day of the week. Each day can have up to four programmable time blocks. Routing Plan Priority: For each Routing Plan, a different carrier can be assigned a different priority for each time of day. Generally, the carrier assigned to priority 1 will be used, however, if the CO lines assigned to this carrier are busy, a different available carrier will be used according to priority level. *1 ARS Routing Plan Time Table [330] *2 ARS Routing Plan Table (1—16) [331—346]
5.	Carrier Table Each carrier must be programmed in the Carrier Table. Here each carrier is assigned a carrier number, name, the CO lines it is used with, etc.
	Carrier Name: Assign a name for the carrier. Used only as a reference. CO Line Group: Assign the CO line groups which can be used when making calls via this carrier. Carrier Access Code: Enter the carrier's access code. Consult carrier for details. Removed Number of Digits: There may be circumstances where the user-dialed number must be modified in order for the carrier to connect the call. In this case, enter here the number of digits to be removed automatically from the beginning of the dialed number. Modify Command: When a call is made using this carrier, the telephone number must be modified to meet the criteria required by the carrier in order to connect the call. Program here the commands needed to modify the user-dialed number as necessary. [Command Explanation] [Programming Example: Carrier Table] *1 ARS Carrier Name [350] *2 ARS CO Line Group for Carrier Access [351] *3 ARS Carrier Access Code [353] *4 ARS Removed Number of Digits for Carrier Access [352]
6.	ARS Options
	Authorization Code for Tenant A Carrier Authorization Code can be assigned to each tenant. Authorization Code for CO Line Group A Carrier Authorization Code can be assigned to each CO line group. Itemized Billing Code An Itemized Billing Code can be assigned for each extension and for each verified code. If a call is not made from an extension, such as via Direct Inward System Access (DISA) or TIE line, and no verified code is used, the Itemized Billing Code assigned to location 1 in the Verified Code Table will be used.