The millions of subscribers signing on for toll free service each year are quickly learning about the vital role of the 800 Services Management System (SMS/800).
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.
Additionally, the SMS/800 management team works with toll free service providers and with the owners and operators of the 800 numbers. The SMS/800 team is comprised of a representative of each of the Bell Operating Companies. The team has final authority on all issues that arise at SMS/800.
By law, all toll free phone service providers must deal with SMS/800 while assigning or reserving numbers for their customers. SMS/800 keeps records on the status of all 800 numbers, service providers, and call routing options.
The popularity of the 1-800 number, launched in 1967, led the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to add the new pre-fixes 888 and 877 in the mid-1990s. When availability of those numbers plummeted, 866 was added in 2000 to overcome the shortage. SMS/800, started in the mid-1980s, manages all these numbers.
While popularity soars, availability of new and used toll free numbers is plummeting. When an 800 number is disconnected, it goes into what is referred to as the aging process. At some point it becomes available on the SMS/800 database. Then, service providers can access the numbers and assign it to a customer in the United States or Canada.
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Toll Free Service Management System News 