Lenny Tropiano <lenny@icus.icus.com> (07/22/90)
An example of multi-frequency inband ANI signaling (from INBOUND/ OUTBOUND magazine, July 1990): By the way, it appears that MCI is sponsering this -- but it obviously isn't just an MCI technique, we all know that. ANI and/or DNIS MCI Customer Telephone System +--------+ +--------+ | | | | | +--------------------------------------+ | | | | | +--------+ +--------+ -------------- SEIZE ----------------> <------------- WINK ----------------- ---------- KP + ANI + ST ------------> and/or -------- + KP + DNIS + ST -----------> <------------ ACK WINK --------------- <------------ OFF HOOK --------------- How in-band ANI gets from MCI to your equipment sounds complex. But it's not. It's a matter of simple signals. In telephony, they just have fancy names. When the phone call comes in, MCI sends your phone system a signal that says, "Something's about to happen." That's called seizing the line. Your phone system responds with a "wink." That's what they call acknowledging the call. MCI then sends a "key pulse" (a start signal) and the 10-digit ANI (phone number) plus a stop bit. When all the MCI ANI and/or DNIS signaling is done, your phone system (or the interface to your phone system) acknowledges it got the digits, and goes "off hook," i.e. lifts the handset and answers the incoming call. You also need to do something with the ANI you just go. The options are: 1. Record it; 2. Send it to a telephone sales agent computer screen; 3. Route it through your database, or; 4. Send it to a voice processing unit (VRU) HOW ANI IS CARRIED ACROSS THE COUNTRY FGD 800/900 MCI network 800/900 call SS#7 transport DAL ANI Local MCI MCI Phone --------> Network --------------> Network --------> PBX/ACD Company Switch Switch ANI Received ANI Transported ANI Delivered ANI Processed -------------------->|----------------------->|-------------->|<-------------> AN ANI GLOSSARY: ANI: Automatic Number Identification. The process whereby the long distance carrier provides its customers with the phone number of the incoming caller -- either as the call happens or in the next month's phone bill. DAL: Dedicated Access Line. A private tie line from your long distance phone company. The line may be analog or digital. If digital, it's probably a T-1 circuit. DNIS: Dialed Number Identification Service. The process whereby the LD carrier provides its customers with the 800 phone number the caller dialed. A customer calls an 800 number, e.g. 800-999-0345 DNIS signals the customer that the number the caller dialed was 800-999-0345. Why would you want this? A company might have many 800 numbers in one group of lines and not be able to distinguish them easily. Knowing the number dialed lets the customer know how to answer the call. FGD: Feature Group D. FGD lines carry ANI from your local, equal-access CO (central office) to your long distance carrier. A LD Carrier must subscribe to these lines to receive ANI. SS#7: Also SS7. Once called common channel signaling system 7. Now just called Signaling system 7. The telephone industry's electronic way of putting an address, a return address, a small message and a stamp on every phone call. SS#7 does basically four things. 1. It supervises the telephone network, monitoring lines to see which are busy, idle or requesting service; 2. It routes calls through the network, picking out one free circuit for that particular call; 3. It carries information about the call for billing and ANI; 4. And, finally it alerts the arrival of an incoming call. T-1: Also T1. Pronunced Tee-One. T-1 is a digital phone line delivering 1,544,000 bit per second (aka 1.544 Mbps). T-1 comes to your office over two pairs of phone lines. T-1 normally can handle 24 voice conversations with each conversation being digitized at 64 Kbps. | Lenny Tropiano ICUS Software Systems lenny@icus.ICUS.COM | | {ames,pacbell,decuac,sbcs,hombre,rayssd}!icus!lenny attmail!icus!lenny | +------ ICUS Software Systems -- PO Box 1; Islip Terrace, NY 11752 ------+