This appears to be the DISA (Direct Inward System Access) for IPkall, which is a free VoIP-related (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephone service. IPkall provides free inbound-only forwarding, from a Washington State telephone number to a VoIP service provider such as FreeWorldDialup or Gizmo.
*** IPkall does not sell anything. At all. ***
Their revenue is essentially derived from charging phone companies for inbound calls to IPkall's users, each of whom signs up for the service, and provides a VoIP phone for the calls to be sent to.
When the inbound call originates from another VoIP service provider (my test call originated from BYODVoIP), the correct number appears in the Caller ID. When the call originates from a land line (I performed two separate tests on different Verizon land lines), and the call terminates on another number that forwards to the IPkall number (my tests involved the GrandCentral inbound-only forwarding service), this number appears as the originating number in Caller ID. Calls from land lines that terminate on the IPkall number, directly, pass the correct caller ID. The behavior may not be consistent across other service providers, since this behavior seems to be the result of an interconnection configuration problem - and not all service providers will necessarily have the same configuration issues.
A DISA is essentially a PBX utility that permits someone to dial into a PBX, and get a dial tone as if they were calling from one of the extensions on the PBX (a phone on someone's desk in the office). It's a useful tool, for example, if you have a cell phone that can only call a few people for free (like a family plan, or one of those ones that lets you call five people), and you want to be able to call anyone. You call a PBX's DISA, get a dial tone from the PBX, and dial back out of the PBX - this way, if the number for the office is on your cell phone's free calling list, then you can call the office, connect to the DISA, and dial back out as if you were at your desk in the office - and it doesn't cost you airtime minutes.
Sometimes the DISA is an extension on the PBX, sometimes there isn't a DISA, and sometimes it is assigned a telephone number for direct dialing (so that you don't have to dial an extension on the PBX - they call this a Direct Inward Dialing number; DID, for short). Usually, there is some kind of password to prevent just anyone from using the DISA (but not always). In this case, IPkall appears to have put the DISA on a DID number, and they do not seem to have placed a password of any kind on it. In their case, that isn't a problem, since they offer no outbound calling of any kind - if you call their DISA at this number, you'll get dead air (maybe a quiet high-pitched whine of feedback), because they haven't got any dial tone to offer.
If you got a call from this number, you are probably not getting a call from someone that is relaying off of their DISA- you probably are getting a call that has been forwarded over VoIP, to you. The involved VoIP providers have simply passed caller ID information to you that is not terribly useful... :)
This number seems to appear on caller ID because of a mismatched VoIP configuration between forwarding service providers, according to various forums around the web. The problem has apparently persisted for years, and is not unique to IPkall or GrandCentral. I'd be curious to know whether anyone experiences this number on their caller ID in other circumstances besides a VoIP configuration - I would not expect it to happen - and if it did, that might reveal more about this number, and the involved service providers. Or it might just be a caller ID spoof. I've seen that before, too... :)
I'm pretty sure that it's impossible for someone to call and try to sell you lawn service, from this number. If you get a call like that, then they probably called your VoIP line, and your VoIP providers (you probably have at least two forwarding services, and at least one actual service provider) probably don't even realize that you're not getting useful information from the caller ID. If it gets annoying, then consider changing VoIP forwarding services to one that passes caller ID correctly. Blocking this number will probably block more than just the telephone solicitors - it'll probably block most of your inbound calls that originate from land lines.
This appears to be the DISA (Direct Inward System Access) for IPkall, which is a free VoIP-related (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephone service. IPkall provides free inbound-only forwarding, from a Washington State telephone number to a VoIP service provider such as FreeWorldDialup or Gizmo.
*** IPkall does not sell anything. At all. ***
Their revenue is essentially derived from charging phone companies for inbound calls to IPkall's users, each of whom signs up for the service, and provides a VoIP phone for the calls to be sent to.
When the inbound call originates from another VoIP service provider (my test call originated from BYODVoIP), the correct number appears in the Caller ID. When the call originates from a land line (I performed two separate tests on different Verizon land lines), and the call terminates on another number that forwards to the IPkall number (my tests involved the GrandCentral inbound-only forwarding service), this number appears as the originating number in Caller ID. Calls from land lines that terminate on the IPkall number, directly, pass the correct caller ID. The behavior may not be consistent across other service providers, since this behavior seems to be the result of an interconnection configuration problem - and not all service providers will necessarily have the same configuration issues.
A DISA is essentially a PBX utility that permits someone to dial into a PBX, and get a dial tone as if they were calling from one of the extensions on the PBX (a phone on someone's desk in the office). It's a useful tool, for example, if you have a cell phone that can only call a few people for free (like a family plan, or one of those ones that lets you call five people), and you want to be able to call anyone. You call a PBX's DISA, get a dial tone from the PBX, and dial back out of the PBX - this way, if the number for the office is on your cell phone's free calling list, then you can call the office, connect to the DISA, and dial back out as if you were at your desk in the office - and it doesn't cost you airtime minutes.
Sometimes the DISA is an extension on the PBX, sometimes there isn't a DISA, and sometimes it is assigned a telephone number for direct dialing (so that you don't have to dial an extension on the PBX - they call this a Direct Inward Dialing number; DID, for short). Usually, there is some kind of password to prevent just anyone from using the DISA (but not always). In this case, IPkall appears to have put the DISA on a DID number, and they do not seem to have placed a password of any kind on it. In their case, that isn't a problem, since they offer no outbound calling of any kind - if you call their DISA at this number, you'll get dead air (maybe a quiet high-pitched whine of feedback), because they haven't got any dial tone to offer.
If you got a call from this number, you are probably not getting a call from someone that is relaying off of their DISA- you probably are getting a call that has been forwarded over VoIP, to you. The involved VoIP providers have simply passed caller ID information to you that is not terribly useful... :)
This number seems to appear on caller ID because of a mismatched VoIP configuration between forwarding service providers, according to various forums around the web. The problem has apparently persisted for years, and is not unique to IPkall or GrandCentral. I'd be curious to know whether anyone experiences this number on their caller ID in other circumstances besides a VoIP configuration - I would not expect it to happen - and if it did, that might reveal more about this number, and the involved service providers. Or it might just be a caller ID spoof. I've seen that before, too... :)
I'm pretty sure that it's impossible for someone to call and try to sell you lawn service, from this number. If you get a call like that, then they probably called your VoIP line, and your VoIP providers (you probably have at least two forwarding services, and at least one actual service provider) probably don't even realize that you're not getting useful information from the caller ID. If it gets annoying, then consider changing VoIP forwarding services to one that passes caller ID correctly. Blocking this number will probably block more than just the telephone solicitors - it'll probably block most of your inbound calls that originate from land lines.
I also get the 2023706937 at times on my IPKALL number. But my experience varies.
With my setup I have Grandentral which rings to my IPkall number.
The IPKall number then forwards to to FWD account.
1. Calls directly to my IPKall number show the correct Caller ID.
2. Calls directly to my Grandcentral number show the correct caller ID
3. Calls I initiate with Grandcentral ring into my house with the 2023706937 as the caller ID.
From what I remember, if I pull FWD out of the loop and go directly to my ATA with the IPKall number. The correct caller ID shows up all the time.
This 'may' indicate a configuration problem between FWD and IPKall or just the right amount of configuration mismatches when all three companies are combined.
But since the 2023706937 number only shows up on my caller ID when I place calls using Grandcentral. It really doenst matter much to me.