Trying to read a business phone system brochure or interpret
a quotation can be confusing. Direct Line Communications is committed
to keeping its customers informed and knowledgeable, and is pleased to
offer this resource.
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A feature that permits the calling party to dial
the destination telephone number in fewer than normal digits. Abbreviated
Dialing numbers must be set up in advance of their use. Speed Dialing
is a typical example of Abbreviated Dialing.
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A C
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Access Carrier - refers to the underlying carrier.
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Account Codes
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Also known as Project Codes or Bill-Back Codes. Account
Codes are additional digits dialed by the calling party that provides
information about the call. Typically used by hourly professionals
(accountants, lawyers, etc.) to track and bill clients, projects,
etc.
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A person or organization that acts on behalf of another.
In the telecommunications industry, Agents typically are independent
individuals or companies that market the services of a carrier as
if they were employees of that carrier.
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Aggregator
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An independent entity that brings several subscribers
together to form a group that can obtain long-distance service at
a reduced rate. Subscribers are billed by the original IXC. The aggregator
only provides the initial set-up of the plan. He usually provides
no service after that. Different than a reseller.
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Alternate Access
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A form of local access where the provider is not
the LEC, but is authorized or permitted to provide such service.
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Alternate Access Carriers
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Local exchange carriers in direct competition with
the RBOCs. Normally found only in the larger metropolitan areas. Examples
are Teleport and Metropolitan Fiber Systems.
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Alternative Operator Services
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Operator services provided by a company other than
a LECRBOC or AT&T that is authorized to provide such service.
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ANI
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See Automatic Number Identification.
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Answer Supervision
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The off-hook indication sent back to the originating
end when the called station answers.
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ARI
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Automatic Room Identification (Hotel/Motel room number)
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Automatic Number Identification
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Originating Number
(1) The number associated with the telephone station(s) from which
switched calls are originated (or terminated).
(2) A software feature associated with Feature Group D (and optional
on Feature Group B) circuits. ANI provides the originating local telephone
number of the calling party. This information is transmitted as part
of the digit stream in the signaling protocol, and included in the
Call Detail Record for billing purposes.
(3) ANI may also be used to refer to any phone number.
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Baby Bells
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See RBOC Backbone
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Ballot
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A release form that authorizes a customer's long-distance
phone service to be switched to (another) long-distance carrier, or
reseller. Also know as a Letter Of Agency or LOA.
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BAN - Billing Account Number
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Used by telephone companies to designate a billing
account, i.e., a customer or customer location that receives a bill.
A customer may have any number of BANs.
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Banded Rates
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Tariffed rates, which may be changed by the carrier
within a specified range. Frequently, state commissions require notice
to the commission prior to each change. Banded rates are being used
less frequently today.
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Bell Customer Code
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A three-digit numeric code, appended to the end of the Main Billing
Telephone Number, that is used by Local Exchange Carriers to provide
unique identification of customers.
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Bell Operating Company - BOC
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The local (or regional) telephone company that owns
and operates lines to customer locations and Class 5 Central Office
Switches. BOCs have connections to other COs, Tandem (Class 4 Toll)
offices and may connect directly to IECs like WorldCom, AT&T,
MCI, Sprint, etc. BOC may refer to the nineteen Bell Operating Companies
that are owned by the seven RHCs (Regional Holding Companies) (not
including Cincinnati Bell or Southern New England Telephone). The
BOC role was originally defined by the 1982 Modified Final Judgement
that specified the terms of the AT&T Divestiture). For Example,
the three BOCs: Mountain Bell, Northwestern Bell and Pacific Northwest
Bell are owned by the U.S. West RHC. Each BOC may service more than
one LATA, but BOCs are generally constrained from providing long distance
service between LATAs.
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Billing Account Number - BAN
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Used by telephone companies to designate a customer
or customer location that will be billed. A single customer may have
multiple billing accounts.
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Bill-To-Room
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A billing option associated with Operator Assisted
calls that allows the calling party to bill a call to their hotel
room. With this option, the carrier is required to notify the hotel,
upon completion of the call, of the time and charges.
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Block Calls
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Prevent calls from completing to the requested destination.
May be due to network problems (outage, overload, etc.), or by customer
request (e.g. block calls from-or-to certain NPAs, NXXs, States, LATAs,
etc.).
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BOC
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See Bell Operating Company
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Bong
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An interactive signal that prompts the originating
end user to enter additional information. For example: 1010555 Bong
(Enter Destination) Bong (Enter Billing information)
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BTN - Billing Telephone Number
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The phone number associated, for billing purposes,
with the Working Phone Number.
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Bypass
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Access an IEC other than the customer's Equal Access
carrier by dialing 10+CIC Code.(e.g. Bypass to WorldCom by dialing
"1010555"). See Walkthrough, CIC Code
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Calling Card
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A telecommunication credit card with an AuthCode
for using a long distance carrier when the customer is away from their
home or office (ANI).
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Carrier
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A telecommunications provider which owns switch equipment.
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Carrier Identification Code - CIC
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A three digit number used with Feature Groups B and
D to access a particular IEC's switched services from a local exchange
line. One or more CIC codes are assigned to each carrier. (i.e. there
may be multiple CICs per ACNA). See Bypass.
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Casual Calling
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Allow any ANI (including undefined ANIs) to access
a given carrier. For example, if the originator is calling from a
non-coin phone, they may dial 1010555+destination number and have
the call routed through WorldCom and billed to the originating phone.
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Casual Customer
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Any person or organization that dials any CIC Code.
(Not necessary to presubscribe to the carrier.)
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Centrex
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A service that is functionally similar to a customer-premise
PBX, but provided by means of equipment located in a Central Office.
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CIC
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See Carrier Identification Code (WorldCom = "555").
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Class of Service - COS
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A special limitation on what numbers can and cannot
be called. International, 809, 809 + Canada, 48 contiguous states,
etc.
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COCOT
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Customer Owned Coin Operated Telephone
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Coin Phone
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A coin-operated pay phone with restricted access
to some services (e.g. International calling). Coin phones have subclasses
of Public, Semi Public, and Private.
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Collect
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A call that is paid for by the receiving/destination
phone number. Requires approval/authorization of the person being
called.
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Common Carrier
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A carrier that holds itself out as serving the public
(or a segment thereof) indifferently (i.e., without regard to the
identity of the customer and without undue discrimination). Common
carriers may vary rates based on special considerations and may in
fact serve only a small fraction of the general public.
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Contract
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A legally-binding agreement between a vendor and
a customer to provide Products, Services or Features in a specified
quantity and quality, for a specified price, during a specified period
of time.
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Contract Tariffs
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Services and rates based on contracts negotiated
with individual customers, but theoretically available to all customers.
AT&T has filed several hundred contract tariffs.
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CONUS - CONtiguous United States
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The 48 contiguous U.S. states. Used primarily to
designate the operating range or authorization of a satellite or radio
facility.
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Country Code
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Two or three digit codes used for International calls
outside of the North American Numbering Plan area codes. Dial: 011
+ country code + city code + local phone number) (e.g. "011 +
91 + 22 + 123- 4567" 91 = India, 22 = Bombay)
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Cutover
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The exact date/time that a phone number, circuit,
etc. is scheduled to be (or was) moved from one implementation (carrier,
etc.) to another. (e.g. moving an 800 number from MCI to WorldCom).
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"10"+CIC+" #" followed by an AuthCode
for IntraLATA calls.
