Conference call

A conference call is a kind of phone conversation in which one person communicates with four or more other persons at the same time. The conference call might be set up in such a way that the called party could participate in the call, or it could be set up in such a way that the called party could just listen into the call and not speak. It is also known as ATC in certain circles (audio teleconference).

However, participants are typically able to call into the conference call themselves by dialling a telephone number that connects to a "conference bridge." A conference bridge is a specialised piece of equipment that links telephone lines. 

It is usual practise for businesses to use the services of a specialist service provider to maintain the conference bridge or to provide the phone numbers and PIN codes that participants dial into their phones in order to enter the meeting or conference call. Quite frequently, these service providers are able to phone out to participants, therefore joining them to the call and introducing them to the parties who are currently on the line. The operators are also able to capture extra information such as question and answer details, as well as activate and disable sophisticated conferencing capabilities such as muting lines, muting participants, and activating a recording capability. During a conference call that is being hosted by a service provider, users (or occasionally only the moderator) may often use a combination of keys on their telephone keypad to request the presence of an operator. *0 is by far the most typical recall function. (asterisk as well as the zero or operator key)

On residential and commercial phone lines, a more restricted form of three-way calling may often be obtained for an additional fee. Dialing the first called party in a three-way call is the first thing that is done. The phone number of the other person who is being contacted is then phoned once the hook flash button (also known as the recall button) has been hit. In order to get the three individuals together, it is necessary to repeatedly hit the flash and recall buttons while the device is ringing. Using this option, callers are able to add a second outgoing call to an existing connection that is already connected.