Description
The Telecom industry is complicated and full of acronyms. This document is to assist with providing you with some of our favorite/commonly used telecom acronyms.
ALT SPID |
The four-digit identifier of a second service provider associated with a telephone number or thousand block. It identifies the wholesale service provider customer to which the PSTN service provider has assigned the number. The second service provider in turn may either assign the number to its retail customer or to another service provider for its use. |
API |
A set of functions and procedures allowing the creation of applications that access the features or data of an operating system, application, or other service. |
ASR |
Automated Speech Recognition. Technology that allows users of information systems to speak entries rather than punching numbers on a keypad. |
ATIS |
Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions |
BLOCK |
A group of 1,000 contiguous telephone numbers in the range NPA-NXX-X000 through NPA-NXX-X999. Usually referred to as a "pooled bock" even when not actually assigned by the nation number pooling administrator |
BTN |
Billing Telephone Number |
CAD |
Customer Administrative Data. Screen in the SMS databased containing the basic customer record. |
CLEC |
Competitive Local Exchange Carrier. Local carrier that started operations to compete with a LEC |
CNAM |
Caller ID with Name |
CONTAMINATED BLOCK |
"Contamination" refers to the fact that some telephone numbers are working in a block. If the block is then assigned to another service provider, not all of the telephone numbers in the block are available to the new block-owner for its use |
CSR |
Customer Services Record. This document lists all of the telephone numbers and services that belong to a customer who desires to port their number to a new provider. |
DID |
Direct Inward Dialing. This can refer to a single ring to line or a single ring to line with multiple exstentions. |
DL |
Directory Listing |
DR |
Disaster Recovery. Ability to route 8XX numbers to a different carrier if carrier A is having an outage or scheduled downtime. |
E911/911 |
(Enhanced 911) is support for wireless phone users who dial 911, the standard number for requesting help in an emergency. Since wireless users are often mobile, some sort of enhancement is needed to 911 service that allows the location of the user to be known to the call receiver. |
FCC |
U.S. government entity endowed with the responsibility to direct the U.S. national telecommunications regulatory environment. |
FOC |
Firm Order Confirmation from a wireline service provider. It is the verification/acknowledgment from one SP to another of receipt of a valid Service Request. |
GUI |
Graphical User Interface. Software used to transmit images through the internet. |
ICONECTIV |
Iconectiv manages the NPAC system that supports the implementation of local number porability and is used to facilitate number porting in the US. |
ILEC |
The local wireline service provider, either an RBOC or an incumbent LEC, that served a market prior to the market being opened to competition. |
IVR |
The IVR is a dial-up service provided by the NPAC that is used by law enforcement agencies, public safety and 911 service providers to retrieve current service provider information. |
IXC |
A carrier that provides connections between local service providers when they do not have connection arrangements appropriate for a call. In particular, used when regulatory restrictions preclude delivery of a call across LATA boundaries. A LEC also may function as an IXC. |
LAD |
Label Definition. Screen in the SMS database inentifying groups of data for use in a CPR |
LATA |
The geographic region beyond which a former BOC, and certain independent LECs, cannot transport a call without involving an IXC |
LCON |
Local Contact |
LEC |
Local Exchange Carrier. Franchised telecommunications company providing originating exchange and exchange access services. |
LERG |
Local Exchange Routing Guide. National system that manages area codes and NXX's. |
LIDB |
(Line Information Database): One of the original uses is to allow a toll operator to determine whether a telephone number may be billed for a call |
LNP |
(Local Number Portability): The FCC-ordered capability for a consumer to retain his number when changing service providers. Enables a consumer to keep his telephone number when he changes telecommunications service providers. The "local" refers to the limited area of portability |
LRN |
(Location Routing Number): A 10-digit number used to uniquely identify a switch that has ported or pooled numbers. The first six digits of the LRN is a valid NPA-NXX assigned to the switch that is serving the ported or pooled number |
LSMS |
(Local Service Management System): The system owned by a service provider and which receives data broadcast from the NPAC/SMS. The LSMS provisions the service provider's downstream systems, such as its LNP call routing database. The LSMS is a mechanized system used (primarily) to receive data broadcasts from the NPAC/SMS. |
LSR |
The service request to port a number, sent from one SP to another. (LSR if sent from a wireline carrier; WPR if sent from a wireless carrier). |
LTI |
(Low-Tech Interface): A manual system used to submit data to the NPAC/SMS |
MRC |
Monthly Reoccuring Charges |
MSA |
Master Service Agreement |
MUMP |
(Mass Update Mass Porting): A method of creating, modifying, and deleting number records at the NPAC/SMS without using a service provider's NPAC/SMS interface. |
NANC |
North American Numbering Council): The NANC was established by the FCC October 5, 1995 to provide advice and recommendations to the FCC and other governments (including those of Canada and the Caribbean countries) on numbering issues. |
NANP |
(North American Numbering Plan): The NANP is the plan for telephone numbers in Canada, the US and its territories, and the Caribbean. Telephone number addresses in the NANP are in the form NXX-NXX-XXXX, where N is any digit from 2-9 and X is any digit from 0-9. |
NANPA |
(North American Numbering Plan Administrator): The entity selected by the FCC to administer the NANP. |
NNSP |
(New Network Service Provider): The NNSP is the service provider operating the switch to which the consumer's telephone number is moving. |
NPA |
(Number Plan Area): The first three digits of the 10-digit NANP telephone number. An NPA is always contained within the boundaries of a single state. |
NPAC |
(Number Portability Administration Center): The term NPAC refers to the entire operation: both personnel and equipment. |
NPA-NXX |
The first six digits of a NANP telephone number (or of an LRN). The NPA-NXX is the PSTN address of the switch serving the telephone number. In a non-pooling area, the NPA-NXX code and the associated 10,000 numbers are assigned by the NANPA. |
NPA-NXX-X |
The NPA-NXX-X represents a pooled thousand block drawn from the NPA-NXX. |
NRUF |
Numbering Resource Utilization/Forecast Report |
NUMBER PORTABILITY |
Local Number Portability (LNP), also known as number portability and number porting, enables end users to keep their telephone number when switching from one telecommunications service provider to another. Prior to the introduction of LNP, changing service providers meant having to get a new telephone number. |
NXX |
Three-digit telephone prefixes, NPA/NXX for the office is 541-593 |
OCN |
(Operating Company Number): The OCN is assigned by The National Exchange Carrier Association, Inc. (NECA) and is used as an identifier for inter-carrier transactions. The OCN of a service provider is used as its NPAC SPID |
OFFNET |
Secondary carrier which carries traffic to those areas not served by the primary carrier. |
ONNET |
Used when your call or message originates on your home operator's network and terminates to another mobile number that resides with your operator. |
ONSP |
Old Network Service Provider |
PA |
(Pooling Administrator): The entity selected by the FCC to administer national number pooling. |
PIN |
Personal Identification Number |
POOLING |
Allows the assignment of numbers in blocks of 1,000 rather than requiring all 10,000 numbers to be assigned to the service provider to which an NPA-NXX is assigned. |
PORT |
Move an 8XX number or local number between controlling parties |
PORT-IN |
Porting In a local or toll-free number to a defined service provider/carrier |
PORT-OUT |
Porting Out a local or toll-free number to a defined provider/carrier |
POTS |
Plain Old Telephone Service |
PSTN |
(Public Switched Telephone Network): The closed network consisting of interconnections between voice switching nodes identified by national number plans such as the NANP (the plan used for telephone numbers in Canada, the United States and its territories, and the Caribbean). |
RATE AREA |
Allows a consumer's service location to be defined for purposes such as defining local calling plans and calculating distances to rate long distance calls. (Note: Distance is no longer a component of pricing most toll calls.) It is a geographic area represented by a single point (the "rate center"). |
RBOC |
Regional Bell Operating Company |
RFP |
Request for Proposal |
RLEC |
Rural Local Exchange Carriers are rural telecom companies that provide telephone service for defined areas |
SCP |
Service Control Point. Real-time database system in the Exchange Carrier Network that contains routing instructions downloaded by the SMS800, the 36 switches in the US/Canda wich direct toll-free calls. |
SOA |
Service Order Administration. The mechanized device interfaces to the NPAC/SMS to create, modify, or delete NPAC/SMS records. For example, a record must be created when a consumer ports his number. |
SOMOS |
Somos, Inc., formerly known as SMS/800, Inc., is a company that manages the toll-free number registry databases for the telecommunications industy |
SPID |
Service Provider Identification Number |
SV |
Subscription Version. The record stored in the NPAC/SMS (and broadcast to LSMSs) that contains routing and other information for a telephone number that is ported or pooled. |
SV ACTIVATE |
Subscription Version Activation: The NSP is in control of the porting process and |
SV CREATE |
SV Create message is sent by the NSP to the NPAC SMS, including the agreed upon |
SV MODIFY |
SV Modify is a control of the porting process to change an existing port request. |
SWITCH |
A device that can be controlled to interconnect two circuits. The local central office switch is used to provide the numbers it serves with the ability to be connected with any other number in the PSTN, i.e., it is the interface to the PSTN for the consumers it serves. |
TN |
Telephone Number |
VOIP |
Voice over Internet Protocol |
WTN |
Working Telephone Number |
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