New Technology Demands Toll Free

Nearly everyone has a “smart” phone these days that accomplishes far more than just connecting a phone call. Apps for every type of business are available at the touch of a screen or a button. When a potential customer seeks info on their phone for restaurants, businesses and other services, owners of all companies should make sure their business pops up on the screen with a toll free phone number. Given the choice, the customer–with phone in hand–will likely choose an option that offers toll free.

What function does the FCC perform in toll free phone numbers?

When the popular 800 numbers became scarce, the FCC introduced the 888 and 877 numbers in the mid-1990s and the 866 pre-fix in 2000. Available stock of toll free numbers is quickly depleting and industry insiders are awaiting the release of the 855 numbers currently reserved by the FCC. Insiders say these numbers may not be released for several years.

Read more here.

Bills and What YOU Need To Know

Toll Free Administration
Management and Oversight Structure

* Break Up the SMT
* Owner/Operators cannot be affiliated with the Administration, Data Center or SCP
* Need Neutral 3rd party Toll Free Administrator, Data Center and SCP

Doesn’t make sense? Go here.

Airline Toll Free Phone Numbers

Airline toll free numbers have been ultra-busy over the past couple of weeks as inclement weather, holiday travelers, and a recent terror attack increased phone traffic between passengers and carriers. Nationwide, airlines reported a significant hike in calls to their toll free phone numbers as concerned passengers checked on flight delays, cancellations and new security rules.

Don’t Get Had

All too often people call up toll free providers and ask for a super popular number. When told that it is already owned by someone else, few go on a die hard mission to get the number they want. They may think they’ve found success when they come across someone on the internet promising to get them any number they could want. This is, unfortunately, too good to be true. Few ‘companies’ online do this as a side job, charging outrageous amounts for fake certificates of owner ship. Then they split…

Read more here.

What is the SMS800 and what function does it perform?

The SMS/800 Data Center houses the main database of available toll free 800, 888, 877 and 866 phone numbers for the United States and Canada. The SMS/800 maintains and updates the database and keeps records of the owners of each number and the service providers. Available numbers on the database are assigned to subscribers on a first-come, first-served, basis.

Read more here.

LA Times Advises About Toll Free

Did you see this recent advice in the Los Angeles Times Business Section. It is the same advice we here in the telecommunications business have been doling out for years:
From LA Times Business Section written by Karen Klein: Make sure your sales page includes product details and a toll-free customer service line. “The easier it is for customers to speak to a real human being, the less likely they are” to return merchandise or resort to a credit card “chargeback,” said Brien Heideman of BadCustomer.com.

Shopping at Home

The past few years have shown a surge of at home shoppers. The internet has helped develop this multi billion dollars industry of shopping by home. You don’t have to deal with traffic, people, etc. All you have to do is have a catalog or computer and you’re good to go!

Get more information here.

Update: Assistance Capability Requirements for Wireline, Cellular, and PCS Telecommunications Carriers

Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA)

Assistance capability requirements for wireline, cellular, and PCS telecommunications carriers

1. (a) Definitions.
1. Call identifying information. Call identifying information means dialing or signaling information that identifies the origin, direction, destination, or termination of each communication generated or received by a subscriber by means of any equipment, facility, or service of a telecommunications carrier. Call identifying information is “reasonably available” to a carrier if it is present at an intercept access point and can be made available without the carrier being unduly burdened with network modifications.
2. Collection function. The location where lawfully authorized intercepted communications and call-identifying information is collected by a law enforcement agency (LEA).
3. Content of subject-initiated conference calls. Capability that permits a LEA to monitor the content of conversations by all parties connected via a conference call when the facilities under surveillance maintain a circuit connection to the call.
4. Destination. A party or place to which a call is being made (e.g., the called party).
5. Dialed digit extraction. Capability that permits a LEA to receive on the call data channel a digits dialed by a subject after a call is connected to another carrier’s service for processing and routing.
6. Direction. A party or place to which a call is re-directed or the party or place from which it came, either incoming or outgoing (e.g., a redirected-to party or redirected-from party).
7. IAP. Intercept access point is a point within a carrier’s system where some of the communications or call-identifying information of an intercept subject’s equipment, facilities, and services are accessed.
8. In-band and out-of-band signaling. Capability that permits a LEA to be informed when a network message that provides call identifying information (e.g., ringing, busy, call waiting signal, message light) is generated or sent by the IAP switch to a subject using the facilities under surveillance. Excludes signals generated by customer premises equipment when no network signal is generated.
9. J-STD-025. The standard, including the latest version, developed by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) for wireline, cellular, and broadband PCS carriers. This standard defines services and features to support lawfully authorized electronic surveillance, and specifies interfaces necessary to deliver intercepted communications and call-identifying information to a LEA. Subsequently, TIA and ATIS published J-STD-025-A and J-STD-025-B.
10. Origin. A party initiating a call (e.g., a calling party), or a place from which a call is initiated.
11. Party hold, join, drop on conference calls. Capability that permits a LEA to identify the parties to a conference call conversation at all times.
12. Subject-initiated dialing and signaling information. Capability that permits a LEA to be informed when a subject using the facilities under surveillance uses services that provide call identifying information, such as call forwarding, call waiting, call hold, and three-way calling. Excludes signals generated by customer premises equipment when no network signal is generated.
13. Termination. A party or place at the end of a communication path (e.g. the called or call-receiving party, or the switch of a party that has placed another party on hold).
14. Timing information. Capability that permits a LEA to associate call-identifying information with the content of a call. A call-identifying message must be sent from the carrier’s IAP to the LEA’s Collection Function within eight seconds of receipt of that message by the IAP at least 95% of the time, and with the call event time-stamped to an accuracy of at least 200 milliseconds.

1. In addition to the requirements in section 1.20006, wireline, cellular, and PCS telecommunications carriers shall provide to a LEA the assistance capability requirements regarding wire and electronic communications and call identifying information covered by J-STD-025 (current version), and, subject to the definitions in this section, may satisfy these requirements by complying with J-STD-025 (current version), or by another means of their own choosing. These carriers also shall provide to a LEA the following capabilities:
1. Content of subject-initiated conference calls;
2. Party hold, join, drop on conference calls;
3. Subject-initiated dialing and signaling information;
4. In-band and out-of-band signaling;
5. Timing information;
6. Dialed digit extraction, with a toggle feature that can activate/deactivate this capability

Personal Toll Free A Popular gift

As we anticipated due to the buzz we heard prior to the holidays, there was a surge in toll free phone numbers given as gifts this holiday season. It appears that toll free phone numbers were mostly given for personal use so that family members and friends could stay in touch. Elderly, grandchildren, college kids and others who will now pay less than they would for long distance and cellular plans. In many instances, the “giver” pays for the subscription for the number and then a portion of, or all of, the monthly bill. And why not? Toll free is so affordable that it is a creative and inexpensive gift to give.