ATTACHMENT J.6 - Definitions Terms.docx

R1BK47120701

Regional Local Services Acquisition (RLSA) – Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont

ATTACHMENT J.6

DEFINITIONS/TERMS

Agency Designated Representative (ADR) - The designated representative of the customer organization and will perform the GDR functions for the customer organization.

Analog Business Line – Non-digital telephone line normally used by a business and normally more expensive than a non-digital residential telephone line.

Analog Centrex Line – A single line business service similar to the Analog Business Line but normally more features similar to those available with PBX service.

Analog PBX Access Line – A non-digital line connecting a PBX to the telephone company’s central office exchange. This access line may also be known as an Analog Trunk Line.

Automatic Call Back – When a caller dials another internal extension and finds it busy, the dials some digits on his phone or presses a special “automatic call back button. When the person hangs up, the phone system rings his number and the number of the original caller and the system automatically connects the two together.

Backup of ISDN PRI Shared D Channel Capability - For PRI(s) with 24B+0D, shared-D channel backup/redundancy can be supported when the associated (i.e., primary) PRI with 23B+D is down/inoperative.

Basic Rate Interface (BRI) Business Line – A digital ISDN Business Line that provides two 64 kilobit per second bearer channels (B-channels) and one 16 kilobit per second data channel (D-channel) or 2B+D. Since there are two bearer channels, the service normally comes with a second number or SPID (Service Profile IDentifier).

BRI Centrex Line – A digital line similar to a BRI Business Line with the features of the Analog Centrex Line.

Business Line (Ground Start) - A way of signaling on subscriber trunks in which one side of the two wire trunk (typically the Ring conductor of the tip and ring) is momentarily grounded (often to a cold water pipe) to get dial tone.

Business Line (Loop Start) - The standard worldwide telephone circuit, for the phone to signal the phone system that it wants to make a call, it applies a DC termination across the phone line.

Call Park – Putting a call into Call Park, then you or anyone else can answer it from any other phone. Call Park is similar to placing a call on hold, but you retrieve the call by dialing a code.

Call Waiting - Is a feature of phone systems that lets you know someone is trying to call you. You’re speaking on the phone, a call comes in for you and you might hear a beep in your ear or see a light on your phone turn on.

Centrex like Service - Is a business telephone service offered by a local telephone company from a local central office (also called a public exchange). Centrex is basically normal single line telephone service with “bells and whistles,” added.

Commercial Area Served – The area(s) where the offeror currently provides service to commercial customers.

Consoleless Operation - PBX’s that work without a console. A console is a large telephone, which a PBX attendant uses to answer incoming calls and transfer them around the organization.

COR – Contracting Officer’s Representative (See Section G.1.1).

Customer Administration Terminal Service (CATS) - The capability for the system administrator to perform most routine system administrative functions remotely from any touch-tone pad.

DID Analog Trunk - non-digital transmission of voice/data inside a company directly without going through the attendant.

Direct Inward Dialing (DID)- You can dial inside a company directly without going through the attendant. This feature used to be an exclusive feature of Centrex but it can now be provided by virtually all modern PBX’s and some modern hybrids, but you must connect via specially configured DID lines from your local central office.

Direct Outward Dialing (DOD) - The ability to dial directly from an extension without having to go through an operator or attendant. In PBX and hybrid phone systems, you dial 9, listen for a dial tone, and then dial the number you want to reach.

DOD Analog Trunk - non-digital transmission of voice/data with the ability to dial directly from an extension without having to go through an operator or attendant.

DS-0 - Digital Signal, level 0. It is 64,000 bps, the worldwide standard for speed for digitizing one voice conversation using pulse code modulation (PCM) and sampling the voice 8,000 times a second and encoding the result in an 8-bit code.

DS-1 - It is 1.544 million bits per second in North America, 2.048 million bits per second elsewhere where its called E-1. Why there’s no consistency is one of those wonderful, unanswered, questions.

DS-3 - In North America and Japan, DS3 is the equivalent of 28 T-1 channels, operating at a total signaling rate of 44,736 Mbps.

Digital Subscriber Line - A generic name for a family of evolving digital services to be provided by local telephone companies to their local subscribers. Such servers go by different names and acronyms- ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), HDSL High-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line, such services are up to eight million bits per second one way, downstream to the customer and somewhat fewer bits per second upstream to the phone company.

GSA Designated Representative (GDR) is designated by the CO with authority to initiate, approve and sign service orders; monitor service implementations; review invoices; monitor contractor performance; notify the COR or CO of contract deficiencies; coordinate Government furnished equipment availability; provide for site access by contractor personnel as required; and customer’s point-of-contact for technical issues.

Caller Identification (Caller ID) – A feature that provides the capability of passing the calling number to the terminating station.

ISDN BRI Service – See Basic Rate Interface (BRI).

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) – Basically there are two different types of ISDN (See Basic Rate Interface (BRI) and Primary Rate Interface (PRI).

National Communications System (NCS) – Organization established to assist the President, National Security Council, and various departments and agencies in the discharge of their national security emergency preparedness telecommunications functions.

National Security Emergency Preparedness (NSEP) Plan – A National plan managed by the National Communications System which works with 30 Presidentially appointed telecommunications industry leaders. The 30 industry leaders are senior executives in their respective companies that are members of the National Security Advisory Committee. The purpose of the plan and the committee is to provide an immediate and coordinated response to emergencies.

National Telecommunications Management Structure (NTMS) - Umbrella program under which all NCS emergency response operations are conducted.

Non-Recurring Charge (NRC) – See One-Time Charge.

One-Time Charge – A Non-Recurring Charge (NRC) such as s one-time Service Initiation Charge (SIC).

Operator Service - Any of a variety of telephone services, which need the assistance of an operator or an automated operator.

Primary Interexchange Carrier (PIC) – Long distance company to which traffic from a given location is automatically routed when dialing 1+ in equal access areas.

Primary Interexchange Carrier Charge (PICC) – Primary Interexchange Carrier Charge.

Primary Rate Interface (PRI) - Stands for primary rate interface. In North America, ISDN PRI can be thought of as enhanced T-1 and some long distance carriers are only delivering T-1 in this format. Used to connect a PBX to the telephone company’s central office exchange. The PRI has 23 bearer channels and one data channel (23B+D).

Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) – The Contracting Officer is the exclusive agent of the Government with authority to enter into and administer contracts. In addition to ensuring compliance with the contract, the PCO has the responsibility to ensure that all requirements of law and regulation are followed. The PCO may delegate responsibilities to an ACO and/or a COTR.

Service Area – Commercial area currently served by offeror.

Service Initiation Charge (SIC) – See One-Time Charge.

SONET - Synchronous Optical Network, a standard for connecting fiber-optic transmission systems.

Speed Dialing - Permits fast dialing of frequently used numbers. A repertory of numbers may be stored in the instrument and/or in the telephone switch.

Station-to-Station Call - A directly dialed call. No operation is used. Most calls are now directly dialed. Some long distance companies don’t even have operators to help complete calls.

Stutter Dial Tone - Is the broken–up tone a user hears on a phone when they pick up their phone to make a call and they have a message waiting in voice mail.

Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) - Program provides national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) users priority authorization of telecommunications services that are vital to coordinating and responding to crises.

Teleconferencing user controlled - A term for a conference of more than two people linked by telecommunications through a conference bridge. The term is applied to voice conferencing, which also is known as audio conferencing and which can include other forms of audio, such as music.

Tie Line - A dedicated circuit linking two points without having to dial the normal phone number. A tie line may be accessed by lifting a telephone handset or by pushing one, two or three buttons.

Two-Way Analog Trunk - A trunk, which can be seized from either end. Can be used to carry conversation into or out of a telephone system.

Voice Mail - Voice Mail allows you to receive, edit and forward messages to one or more voice mailboxes in your company or in your universe of friends.

Visual Voice Mail - An application displayed and controlling voice messages on a desk computer. Usually associated with unified messaging.

ATTACHMENT J.6 – DEFINITIONS/TERMS