Telephone Frequently Asked Questions

Telephone FAQ

MGW, is responsible for maintaining the lines up to the Network Interface Device (NID) at your location of service. The NID is a small gray plastic box labeled “Telephone Network Interface” located on the outside of your home. Issues caused by the lines or equipment beyond the NID are the customer’s responsibility. You, the customer, own the phone(s) and wire on the inside of your location of service and from the NID to your premises.

What is the NID?
Network Interface Device (NID): This is where the service comes into the location receiving service. This is the dividing line between MGW’s Local Loop and the wiring on the customer’s premises.

What do I do if I can’t make long distance calls?
If you are having trouble placing long distance calls, please report your issue to MGW Customer Support at 877-579-9572. We will request specific information regarding your trouble, and, need this information to begin investigating the trouble. 

We will request a minimum of three call examples with the following information from each call: 

  • The number being dialed including the area code

  • The time the call was placed.

The issue needs to be reported to MGW within 4 hours of the calls being placed, and, between the hours of 8am and 3pm.

What do I do if I don’t have dial tone on my telephone?

  1. Use a corded telephone to test for dial tone. Corded telephones receive their power from the telephone circuit. Other electrical issues may be present with cordless phones that may prevent you from hearing a dial tone.

  2. Make sure all connections between the telephone base and the handset are secure as well as the connection from the telephone base to the wall jack.

To determine if the connection problem is within the house:

  1. Open the NID (network interface device) on the outside of your house and connect a corded telephone and check for dial tone. If you have dial tone, the connection problem is within your home. Call MGW Customer Support at 877-579-9572 to if you wish to have our technical team assist you.

I have noise on my line. What can I do to determine what the problem is?
If you have another phone or fax machine, check it to see if the problem exists on them as well.
Unplug all of the phone connections in your house and then connect them in one by one to see which phone or connection is causing the problem. Do not forget fax machines, satellite receivers, computer modems, and other devices connected to the phone line as these could be the source of a problem.

Telephone Troubleshooting

How do I troubleshoot telephone service problems on my own before calling MGW? 
Telephone service problems can occur at any point from the telephone exchange to your home telephone equipment.  MGW Telephone, is responsible for maintaining the lines up to the Network Interface Device(NID) at your location of service. The NID is a small gray plastic box labeled “Telephone Network Interface” located on the outside of your house. Issues caused by the lines or equipment beyond the NID are the customer’s responsibility. You, the customer, own the phone(s) and wire on the inside of your location of service and from the NID to your premises.

  1. Locate the NID on the outside of the location that receives telephone service.

  2. Open the NID with a screwdriver (black arrow). Once open, you will perform troubleshooting steps focused on the internal right side of the NID. The internal left side of the NID is managed by MGW.

  3. Make sure all modular jacks are plugged in

  4. If modular jacks are all plugged in and there are still issues, unplug each modular jack for 30 seconds. After this, check each modular jack with a phone set to see if there is a dial tone. Each one should have a dial tone, except DSL lines.

  5. If there is a dial tone it is an inside issue and the customer is responsible for everything from NID to inside the house. If there is no dial tone then this is an outside issue and we would need to dispatch since we are responsible for anything that is from the NID and beyond.

  6. If you have a strong, clear dial tone at the NID, there may be a problem with your inside wiring or equipment. In this case, you need to unplug all telephones, answering machines, caller ID units, etc., and check them one at a time. Remember, cordless telephones are frequently the source of service problems inside the customers locations of service.

  7. If there is no dial tone or you are still experiencing issues at the NID box, please call 877-579-9572 to report the problem.

What do I do if someone is having trouble calling me? 
They will need to report this issue to their telephone service provider.

Using MGW Telephone Service

Accessing Your Telephone Mailbox
1.  Dial *88
2.  Press # if you are calling from the phone your voice mail is on.  OR DIAL 925-1000 followed by your telephone number, area code first, if calling from a remote phone.
3.  Enter your password, followed by the # key. Your password will be a default code of “0000” until you change it.
4.  Main Menu: Press 1 to retrieve messages, or Press 9 to access your mailbox configuration.

To Retrieve Messages Remotely
1.  Dial your number. (you may also dial 5409251000)
2.  Listen for your announcement.
3.  Press *
4.  Enter your password, followed by the # key.