What Is a 3CX Engine Number?
A 3CX Engine Number is a local Australian phone number, powered by 3CX communications technology, that lets someone in prison call you at local-call rates instead of expensive long-distance or mobile rates. The inmate dials your Engine Number like any local landline; the 3CX platform instantly routes the call to your mobile phone — or, if you prefer, to the free 3CX app.
Engine Numbers is Australia’s original 3CX engine number provider — operating since 2004, with more than 30 million calls connected for over 100,000 families, and unlimited plans from $0.92 a day: the cheapest prison calls in Australia.
Engine Numbers is the original 3CX Engine Number service in Australia. We’ve been connecting families since 2004 — over 30 million calls, 195 million minutes, and more than $270 million saved by 100,000+ Australian families.
Why “3CX”?
3CX is the professional-grade communications platform our service is built on. It’s what makes an Engine Number more than a simple diversion. It allows us to set a fixed answering location, which means it complies with prison regulations and can be used in all prisons.
Reliability
3CX is business-grade VoIP infrastructure used worldwide, so calls connect clearly and consistently.
No hardware
Your Engine Number works with the mobile you already have. The 3CX app is optional.
Instant setup
Numbers are provisioned in minutes, matched to your loved one’s prison location.
Many long-time customers know us simply as 3CX Engine Numbers — if that’s what you were told to search for, you’re in the right place.
How a 3CX Engine Number Works
- Choose the prison location — pick a plan and we issue your local 3CX Engine Number in minutes.
- Your loved one adds it — they submit your Engine Number to their approved contact list at their prison.
- Calls reach your mobile — once approved, their calls to your local number connect straight through to you, anywhere in the world. Use the 3CX app if you like, or don’t — it’s optional.
Need help with the app? See our 3CX Setup Guide.
The Original Service — Since 2004
The “Engine Number” name traces back to the early VoIP provider Engin, and our service is where that history lives on. We were issuing Engine Numbers before any of today’s imitators existed. When you search for a 3CX engine number, you’ll find newer companies using similar names — there is only one original, OFFICIAL Engine Numbers service, operating continuously since 2004.
Pricing
Plans start from $0.92 per day on long-term plans, with flexible options from $2.50/day. Unlimited calls, no lock-in contracts, cancel any time. See pricing →
3CX Engine Number FAQs
Do I need the 3CX app to use my Engine Number?
No. Calls connect directly to your mobile. The 3CX app is optional for those who prefer app-based calling.
Is a 3CX Engine Number the same as an Engine Number?
Yes — our Engine Numbers are 3CX-powered. Some customers call them “3CX engine numbers”, “engin numbers” or just “engine numbers”; it’s the same original service.
Which prisons does it work with?
150+ prisons across NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the ACT.
How fast can I get a 3CX Engine Number?
Setup takes minutes. Calls begin once the prison approves your number on the inmate’s contact list.
What Is 3CX, Actually?
Most providers throw “3CX” around without explaining it. Here’s what it actually is: 3CX is professional business phone-system software used by hundreds of thousands of companies worldwide to route calls over the internet. It is not prison software and it was not built for prisons — it’s the same enterprise-grade system an office uses for its phone lines.
A 3CX engine number simply means your engine number runs on 3CX’s infrastructure. When your loved one calls your local number from the prison phone, 3CX routes that call instantly to wherever you are — your mobile, or the free 3CX app if you choose to use it.
Reliability
Enterprise software maintained by a global vendor, not a hobby server. Uptime matters when a missed call can’t be returned.
Call quality
3CX manages the routing that keeps a prison call sounding like a local call.
The optional app
Install the free 3CX app on iOS or Android and you can answer your engine number on wifi anywhere in the world, see call history, and manage everything yourself. The app is optional — most families simply answer on their normal mobile with nothing installed.
We’ve run engine numbers on this architecture longer than any provider in Australia — since 2004, across 30 million+ calls.
Setting Up the 3CX App (Step by Step)
- Sign up for your engine number (choose a plan) — the number itself works immediately with no app.
- If you want the app: download 3CX free from the App Store or Google Play.
- We email you a QR code — open the app, scan it, done. Your engine number is now on your phone.
- Calls to your engine number ring the app and/or your mobile — you choose in settings.
Full walkthrough with screenshots: 3CX Setup Guide. Tip for overseas family: the app answers over wifi, so relatives abroad can receive calls from an Australian prison at local-call cost — one of the most common reasons families choose the 3CX option.
3CX Engine Number vs Ordinary Call Forwarding
| 3CX engine number | Basic call forwarding | |
|---|---|---|
| Answer anywhere (wifi/app) | Yes | No — one destination |
| Call history you can see | Yes | No |
| Works with your normal mobile too | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise-grade routing | Yes | Depends on provider |
Do I have to pay for the 3CX app?
No — the app is free. You only pay your Engine Numbers plan.
Does my loved one need the app in prison?
No. Nothing changes on their side — they dial your local engine number from the prison phone as normal.
Is there a “3CX engine number login”?
Yes — app users manage everything in the 3CX app itself; plan and account management is at enginnumbers.com.au/my-account.
What if 3CX has an outage?
Calls fall back to direct mobile routing — your number keeps working.