> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hiveku.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Buy and Configure a Phone Number

> First-time setup for a Hiveku Communications DID

This is the first thing you do when setting up Hiveku Communications: buy a phone number, verify your E911 address, route inbound calls, and place a test call to confirm the line works. Plan for 5-15 minutes — most of the time is waiting for E911 verification.

## Before you start

Have ready:

* A physical address where the phone (or extension) will be used — required for E911
* A decision on number type: local (geographic), toll-free, or international
* An idea of where calls should route — extension, ring group, IVR, queue, or AI agent

## Step 1: Search for a number

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Numbers tab">
    `/dashboard/communications/` > **Numbers** > **Buy a number**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick country and type">
    United States is the default. Pick local, toll-free, or international.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Search">
    Filter by area code (415, 212, 312), digit pattern (`*555*`), or vanity word (`FLOWERS`). Toll-free defaults to any prefix; you can narrow to 1-800 only.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a number">
    Each result shows the number, monthly cost, and capabilities (Voice, SMS, MMS, Fax). Click **Buy** on the one you want.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  For a sales team, pick a local number in the area code where most of your prospects live. Local caller ID has roughly 2x the answer rate of toll-free or out-of-area numbers.
</Tip>

## Step 2: Verify your E911 address

E911 is required by law before activation. The address tells emergency responders where to dispatch if anyone dials 911 from this number.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add an address">
    Either pick an existing E911 address from the dropdown, or click **New address**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the physical address">
    Street, city, state, postal code. Use the actual location where the phone will be used — your office, the user's home if remote, etc.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Submit">
    Hiveku validates against the carrier's MSAG. Most addresses verify in seconds; ambiguous ones may need manual review (1-2 business days).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Address is now bound to the DID">
    Future changes (move office, remote employee relocates) require updating the address.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  E911 is not optional. Hiveku will not let outbound calls happen on a DID without a verified E911 address. This is for legal and safety reasons.
</Warning>

## Step 3: Decide where calls go

Each DID points at one inbound destination. Pick from:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Direct to extension">
    Routes inbound to a single user's phone. Best for personal direct numbers, small teams, or your own line.

    Configure: pick the extension, set ring time (default 20 sec), set voicemail fallback.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Ring group">
    Multiple extensions ring per the group's strategy (sequential, simultaneous, round-robin). Best for sales teams and small departments.

    See [Ring Groups](/communications/ring-groups).
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="IVR menu">
    "Press 1 for sales, 2 for support" auto-attendant. Best for businesses with multiple departments.

    See [Set Up an IVR](/how-tos/setup-ivr).
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Queue">
    Caller waits with hold music until an agent is available. Best for high-volume support and sales lines.

    See [Queues](/communications/queues).
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="AI voice agent">
    Hiveku's AI answers and handles the conversation. Best for after-hours, or as your primary 24/7 receptionist.

    See [Set Up the AI Voice Receptionist](/how-tos/setup-ai-receptionist).
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Step 4: Configure routing

For this guide, let's route to a single extension as the simplest case.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the number's detail page">
    From the **Numbers** tab, click your new DID.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the inbound route">
    Pick **Extension** as the destination, then choose your extension from the list. If you don't have one yet, create it on the **Extensions** tab — see [Extensions and Devices](/communications/extensions).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set ring time">
    Default 20 seconds.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the failover">
    What happens if the extension doesn't answer — voicemail (default), another extension, an external forward, or a queue.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Routing is live within \~30 seconds.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 5: Test inbound

<Steps>
  <Step title="Call from a different phone">
    Use your cell phone or a friend's phone — anything but the extension you just configured.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the right phone rings">
    Your desk phone, mobile softphone, or browser softphone should ring within a few seconds.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick up and check audio">
    Two-way audio, no echo, no choppiness. If audio is one-way, see [troubleshooting](/communications/extensions#troubleshooting).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Hang up and don't pick up next time">
    Confirm the call goes to voicemail (or your configured failover) after ring timeout.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 6: Test outbound

<Steps>
  <Step title="From your registered extension">
    Place a call to your cell phone.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the right caller ID">
    Your cell should display the new DID (or whatever you configured as the outbound caller ID for that extension).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick up and check audio">
    Two-way audio, clean.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 7: Optional — set up SMS

If your DID has SMS capability, send a test text:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the SMS tab">
    `/dashboard/communications/` > **SMS** > **Compose**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send to your cell">
    Pick the new DID as the sender, send a test message.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Reply">
    Reply from your cell. Confirm it lands in the SMS inbox threaded with the original.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Info>
  US local numbers may take 1-3 business days to fully approve for high-throughput SMS via 10DLC. Until then, sending is rate-limited and some carriers may filter messages.
</Info>

## Common configurations

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Solo founder">
    1 local number → your single extension → voicemail fallback. Done in 5 minutes.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Small sales team">
    1 toll-free number → IVR ("press 1 for sales") → ring group of 4 reps (round-robin) → queue with hold music as fallback.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Customer support">
    1 toll-free number → IVR with options for billing, technical, and account → each routes to a queue with skill-tagged agents.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="AI-first">
    1 number → AI voice agent as primary, with transfer to human ring group for escalations.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="E911 address won't verify">
    Address may not be in the carrier's MSAG, especially for new buildings or rural addresses. Submit a manual verification request from the address detail page; Hiveku ops will work with the carrier (1-2 business days).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Inbound calls go straight to voicemail">
    Check the extension is registered (devices online — see Extensions tab). Also check the failover route — if "no answer" is set to voicemail too aggressively (e.g., 3-second ring), increase ring time.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Outbound calls fail with 'caller ID rejected'">
    Carrier-level STIR/SHAKEN can reject outbound from numbers not yet fully verified. New DIDs typically take 24-48 hours for full attestation. Check back in a day if you're seeing this on a fresh number.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Set up an IVR" icon="list-tree" href="/how-tos/setup-ivr">
    Add a "press 1 for sales" menu in front of your number.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Set up the AI receptionist" icon="microphone" href="/how-tos/setup-ai-receptionist">
    Let the AI answer 24/7.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Compliance" icon="shield-check" href="/communications/compliance">
    E911, recording, and toll-fraud guard.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>