The called party (in some contexts called the "B-Number") is a person who (or device that) answers a telephone call. The person who (or device that) initiates a telephone call is the calling party.
In some situations, the called party may number more than one: such an instance is known as a conference call. Strictly, in some systems, only one called party is contacted at each event, as to initiate a conference call the calling party contacts the first called party, then this person contacts the second called party, but audio is transferred to both called parties.
In a collect call (i.e. reverse charge), the called party pays the fee for the call, when it is usually the calling party that does so. The called party also pays if the number dialed is a toll-free telephone number.
In some countries, such as the United States and China, users of mobile phones pay for the "airtime" to receive calls, while in other countries, e.g. most European countries, the elevated interconnect fees are paid fully by the calling party and the called party are kept free of charge.
Famous quotes containing the words called and/or party:
“Be careful about Burma. Most people cannot remember whether it was Siam and has become Thailand, or whether it is now part of Malaysia and should be called Sri Lanka.”
—Alexander Cockburn (b. 1941)
“A stiff apology is a second insult.... The injured party does not want to be compensated because he has been wronged; he wants to be healed because he has been hurt.”
—Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)