# Outbound Route Overview

An outbound route is the rule set that governs how Cloud Voice sends calls out to your carrier (the phone company that carries the call beyond your system). Each time an extension dials a number, the system looks at both who is calling (the extension number) and what was dialed, then picks the outbound route that fits and places the call through it. Without at least one outbound route, extensions cannot reach numbers outside the system.

## What an outbound route can match on

You control which calls a route accepts, and who may use it, by combining any of the following criteria.

- **Dial Pattern**: Determines which dialed numbers the route accepts, and can reshape a number before it is handed to the carrier. See [Outbound Dial Pattern](/pbx/administrator-guide/outbound-dial-pattern/) for the full pattern syntax and examples.
- **Outbound Route Password**: Requires the caller to enter a PIN (Personal Identification Number) before the route will connect the call. This is useful for restricting long-distance or premium dialing to authorized staff.
- **Time Condition**: Restricts the route to specific hours or days, so it is only usable during the periods you allow.

:::note[What "reshape a number" means]
A dial pattern can add or remove digits before the call leaves the system. For example, a pattern can strip a leading `9` that staff dial to get an outside line, or prepend a country or area code, so the carrier receives the number in the exact format it expects.
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:::caution[Guard against toll fraud]
A route that reaches long-distance, international, or premium-rate numbers with no Outbound Route Password is an easy target for toll fraud. If an extension or SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) device is compromised, an attacker can run up large charges through an unprotected route. Add a password, or a tighter dial pattern, to any route that can reach costly destinations.
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:::danger[Never restrict emergency calling]
Do not place a PIN or a Time Condition on the route that carries emergency numbers (such as 911). A password prompt or an out-of-hours block can stop an emergency call from going out when a caller needs it most. Keep emergency dialing on a route that is always open and never requires a PIN.
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## How routes are prioritized

Outbound routes are evaluated in order, from the highest priority down to the lowest. When a call is placed, Cloud Voice tests the dialed number against each route's dial patterns in turn and stops at the first one that fits.

1. If the dialed number matches the first route, the call goes out through that route.
2. If it does not match, the system moves on to the next route, continuing down the list until a match is found.

Because the first match wins, ordering matters: a broad route placed above a more specific one can capture calls you intended the specific route to handle. To change the evaluation order, see [Adjust priority of outbound routes](/pbx/administrator-guide/manage-outbound-routes/#topic_sv3_p2g_2mb__section_amx_2lg_2jb).

:::tip[Order specific routes above broad ones]
List routes with narrow, specific dial patterns near the top and broad "catch-all" routes near the bottom. That way a call reaches its intended route before a general route can grab it.
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