Twilio regional routing
Configure regional routing for Twilio phone numbers to ensure data residency compliance.
Overview
Section titled “Overview”Regional routing ensures that your telephony data stays within a specific geographic region. When using Twilio with ElevenLabs in an isolated environment (such as EU residency), you must configure regional routing correctly to maintain data residency compliance.
This guide explains what regional routing is, why it matters, and how to configure it properly in both Twilio and ElevenLabs.
What is regional routing?
Section titled “What is regional routing?”Regional routing is Twilio’s mechanism for ensuring that call data is processed and stored within a specific geographic region. Think of it as data residency for your telephony infrastructure.
Why regional routing matters
Section titled “Why regional routing matters”When using ElevenLabs in an isolated environment (such as EU residency), all data processing must remain within your designated region. Without proper regional routing configuration:
- Data residency violations: Call data may be routed through unintended regions
- Failed API operations: Operations on ongoing calls (such as transfers, hold, resume) will fail
- SDK routing mismatches: The Twilio SDK defaults to the
us1region, causing API calls to be sent to the wrong region even when Twilio has routed the call correctly on the backend
How it works
Section titled “How it works”When you import a Twilio phone number into ElevenLabs:
- Twilio routes the call: Twilio automatically routes incoming calls to the region configured in your Twilio account (this can be
us1,ie1for Ireland,au1for Australia, etc.) - ElevenLabs needs to know the region: To perform operations on ongoing calls (like transfers), ElevenLabs must send API requests to the same region where Twilio routed the call
- Region specification prevents failures: By specifying the routing region in the ElevenLabs platform, we ensure all API calls target the correct Twilio region
Configuration
Section titled “Configuration”Check your Twilio regional routing
First, verify which region your Twilio phone number is configured to use:
- Log into your Twilio Console
- Navigate to Phone Numbers → Manage → Active numbers
- Select your phone number
- Look for the Voice & Fax configuration section
- Check the Regional routing or Edge Location setting
Common Twilio regions:
us1- United States (default)ie1- Ireland (Europe)au1- Australiabr1- Braziljp1- Japansg1- Singapore
Configure regional routing in Twilio
If your phone number is not configured for the correct region:
- In the Twilio Console, go to your phone number configuration
- Find the Voice & Fax section
- Set the Edge Location to match your desired region
- Save the configuration
Specify the routing region in ElevenLabs
When you import or configure a Twilio phone number in the ElevenLabs Phone Numbers page:
- Navigate to the phone number configuration
- If you’re using an isolated environment, you’ll see a warning message that reads: “You are using a phone number in an isolated environment. Double check the routing region for this phone number in your provider.”
- Verify that the routing region matches your Twilio configuration
- Ensure the region specified matches the region configured in your Twilio accountIf you’re using regional routing, you must use a regional API key from Twilio that corresponds to your routing region. Your standard US API key will not work for non-US regions and will result in authentication errors. Generate a region-specific API key in your Twilio Console.
Verifying your configuration
Section titled “Verifying your configuration”To verify that regional routing is configured correctly:
- Check Twilio Console: Confirm your phone number shows the correct Edge Location
- Check ElevenLabs Platform: Verify the routing region setting matches your Twilio configuration
- Test call operations: Make a test call and verify that operations like call transfer work correctly
Common issues
Section titled “Common issues”Call transfers are failing
This typically indicates a regional routing mismatch. Verify that:
- Your Twilio phone number is configured with the correct Edge Location
- The routing region specified in ElevenLabs matches your Twilio configuration
- You’re using an isolated environment that matches the routing region
My phone number is from Europe but routing through US
The phone number’s geographic origin doesn’t determine routing behavior. You must explicitly configure regional routing in Twilio. By default, all numbers (including European numbers) route through us1 unless configured otherwise.
I'm not using an isolated environment - do I need this?
If you’re using the standard ElevenLabs environment (not EU residency or another isolated environment), regional routing configuration is optional.
How do I know which region to use?
Choose a region that:
- Matches your data residency requirements (e.g.,
ie1for EU data residency) - Is closest to your users for optimal latency
- Matches your ElevenLabs isolated environment (if applicable)
I'm getting authentication errors with my Twilio credentials
If you’re seeing authentication errors when using regional routing, verify that you’re using the correct regional API key:
- Regional routing requires a region-specific API key from Twilio, not your standard US API key
- Generate a new API key scoped to your target region (e.g.,
ie1,au1) in the Twilio Console - Update your credentials in ElevenLabs with the regional API key
- Your Account SID remains the same, but the API key must match the region
Best practices
Section titled “Best practices”- Match regions: Ensure your Twilio regional routing matches your ElevenLabs environment
- Document configuration: Keep records of which numbers use which regions
- Test thoroughly: Verify call operations work correctly after changing regional routing
- Monitor calls: Watch for failures in the Calls History dashboard that might indicate routing issues
- Plan for scale: If you plan to expand to new regions, consider regional routing from the start