Telephone Terminology

A pocket sized radio receiver used for receiving callers' phone numbers or short messages. Pagers emit an audible signal, vibrate, or do both when they are activated by an incoming message.

A computer terminal that handles paging functions.

A service company that transmits messages to subscribers' pagers.

A phone that requires you to pay for the call using coins or to charge it to another account.

Phone services from information providers that charge the cost of the service to the caller through the caller's phone bill or credit card. Also called 900 service and 976 service.

By Federal law, payphone companies must be compensated by long-distance companies for toll-free calls made through their phones. Most long distance companies pass this charge on to you on your long distance bill for calling card calls placed from a payphone or toll free calls received by you from a payphone.

The high-use period of the business day when phone companies charge their highest rates, typically 7 am to 7 pm, M-F.

An operator-assisted call in which the caller designates a certain person with whom to speak.

A wireless-phone network operating in the 1,800 MHz to 2,000 MHz range. Its cellular base stations are smaller and lower powered than those of standard cellular technology.

the two-way digital service for mobile voice, messaging, and data transmission regarded as the second generation of wireless service.

: a number, usually four digits, that you use to ensure system security. Also called lock code.

A LEC charge for changing the PIC. Often paid by the new IEC. If a LEC sends a PIC charge to a customer, the new IEC will typically credit the customer's account.

A unique identifying number assigned to each long distance provider. Your local telephone company uses this code to indicate who your long distance service provider is.

A PIC Freeze prevents long distance service from being switched for the specified ANIs without owner authorization to prevent the unauthorized switching of long distance services, commonly called slamming..

A request record sent to a LEC asking for an ANI to be activated, deactivated or somehow revised.

Plain Old Telephone Service

The act of signing up a long distance company to provide services to a particular payphone.

This is a charge that local phone companies charge long distance companies to have access to their local phone lines.

A card or "virtual card" that is bought in advance entitling the owner to make phone calls. Prepaid calling cards typically come in denominations of $5, $10, $20, and $50. When the owner of the card makes phone calls, the value of the card decreases at a predetermined rate per minute. Different than calling cards.

Also known as the National Access Fee, Presubscribed Interexchange Carrier Charge, Presubscribed Line Charge, Regulatory Related Charge, or Carrier Line Charge. Long distance companies pay a flat fee to the local telephone company when you pre-subscribe your telephone line to their long distance service (called "Dial 1" or "Plus 1" service). This charge is intended to compensate the local telephone companies for the costs associated with providing "local loop" service. If a consumer or business has not selected a long distance company for its telephone lines, the local telephone company may bill for the PICC. This is NOT a tax. Note that on July 1, 2000 the FCC ruled that long distance companies no longer will have to pay this fee to local companies for residential lines, or single line businesses. The charge continues for multiple line businesses.