Telecommunications and Technology Primer

2-1-1 Training: Telecommunications 2-1-1 Training: Telecommunications and Technologyand Technology

Marianne Galleon

INFO LINE of Los Angeles

July 30, 2004

Southern California 2-1-1 Technology Training provided by INFO LINE of Los Angeles

Goals:

Understand how 2-1-1 system design affects telecommunications and technology

Learn about telecom and technology– Getting the 2-1-1 call to the Center– Handling 2-1-1 calls once at the Center– Managing technology options within the Center– How to plan for the unexpected


Introductions

Name, location, and role or positionStatus of 2-1-1 in your communityTelecom-Technology Continuum

Newby Dangerous Smarty

Expectations: One thing you’d like to learn?


Centralized Administration with Single Call Center

Centralized Administration with Multiple Centers

Decentralized Administration with Multiple Centers

Service Delivery

Resource Database

24-hour Access

Service Models


Model Considerations

Short-term and long-term costs Timeline Billings Coordination and collaboration Service delivery Scalability for emerging technologies and future

opportunities


Philosophical Issues

Old numbers“Live answer”Anonymity vs. ConfidentialityPrivacyTarget populationsData sharing


Alphabet Soup

POTS ILEC CLEC ACD PUC PBX 8YY AIN VoIP IVR

Plain old telephone service Incumbent local exchange carrier Competitive local exchange carrier Automatic call distributor Public utility commission Private branch exchange 800-number Advanced intelligence networking Voice over Internet Protocol Interactive Voice Response


Central Office Translation

2-1-1 Caller(over local)

2-1-1 Caller(over 8YY)

Switch*

Switch* Translation2-1-1 = local #

Translation2-1-1 = 8YY #

PBX

Host Central Office

2-1-1 Center


Types of TranslationTypes of Translation

Switch-based “hard-wired” at a switch,

often for multiple exchanges

Less complex Little ongoing maintenance History of service (911 and

other N11s)

AIN Service Through network based

on “if, then” statements NPA-NXX specific Requires table

maintenance with new numbers

Sometimes more costly Not always available


Who to Contact

ILECs CLECs Payphone industry Wireless/Cellular PBX and other phone system administrators VoIP companies Cable companies


Phantom Calls

A phantom is a call that arrives at the Center but has no “real person” making the call.

Switching equipment misinterprets “2-1-1 pulses”

Experienced as rings only, “clicks,” silent call, busy signal, static


Phantom Effects

Staff burnout ACD and line overload “Solutions” to manage phantoms create other

issues, – IVR or auto attendant may eliminate calls from rotary

phones or TTY’s– May require more sophisticated ACD, additional

lines, ports, telephones, longer hold times, etc.


Phantom Calls Stats

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

11/19-12/18 12/19-1/18 1/19-2/18 2/19-3/18 3/19-4/14

IRN HELPLINE 2-1-1 Callers Served to Activity in ACDCallers Served

Calls in ACD

8%3% 3%

10% 9%

0%

9%

35%

51%

61%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

May '03 June'03

July '03Aug '03 Sept'03

Oct '03 Nov '03Dec '03 Jan '04 Feb '04

HELPLINE 2-1-1 Abandoned Calls - Group 6

11%13%

8% 8% 8%

0%

5%

10%

15%

11/19 - 12/18 12/19 - 1/18 1/19 - 2/18 2/19 - 3/18 3/19 - 4/14

HELPLINE 2-1-1Groups 1,2,3,4 Abandoned Calls


Routing Issues

Digits in 7-digit number misrouted (i.e. 626-352-11XX, or

909-376-211X), allowing the 2-1-1 Center to hear the one or both parties on the intended call.

8YY routes based on “charge number” in place of the ANI of the originating caller.

Calls automatically ringing to individual's homes. Calls automatically ring into 2-1-1 Center when the

residential customer picks up the phone. “Looping" pattern (e.g., a fax line on repeat dialing)


Payphone Issues

“Dumb” or “smart” pay telephones

Service or refund number requests

Mandates about locations and accessibility

Carrier charges and reputation of 8YY carrier


CPUC on Payphone Issue

Quotes taken directly from CPUC ruling:

‘Consistent with FCC rules and the public interest, payphone operators in those territories receiving 2-1-1 service must discontinue any incompatible use of 2-1-1 dialing and must route calls to I&R providers.

We urge all payphone operators to recognize that 211 calls are, in many cases, an alternative to 911 calls, and we urge them to refrain from charging callers dialing 211. ‘

‘The decision permits I&R providers to secure 2-1-1 call origination service from incumbent carriers using the architecture of their choice. I&R providers, on the other hand, must secure an 8YY number and 800 service for call routing by payphone operators or competitive local exchange carriers who prefer to use this network architecture to provide 2-1-1 call origination services. ‘


CPUC Payphone Timelines

Quotes taken directly from CPUC ruling:

‘Furthermore, we will set a deadline for each payphone provider to discontinue nonconforming uses of the 2-1-1 number from payphones in those affected geographic areas when 2-1-1 service will be offered.’

‘Deadline Event 1 plus 120 days: Payphone Telephones initiate process to relinquish use of 2-1-1 service for access to refund and repair service.’

‘Absent the implementation of 2-1-1 calling in a specific area, it is not necessary to require payphone providers to discontinue use of this number.’

‘The providers of payphone services in an area in which 2-1-1 service will be offered shall end all non-conforming uses of 2-1-1 service within six months of their filing. Payphone service providers may route and bill the 2-1-1 calls as 8YY calls using the number secured by the I&R provider.’


Wireless Issues

No FCC Mandate

Many contracts require Statewide 8YY

Caller pays for minutes

Public education requirements

Switch based vs. Tower routing

Crossing state Borders

Number Portability

Geographic or phone number based


Switched Cellular

Cell phone companies have one or more ‘switches’ in a state. These switches cover a large geographic area where the cell towers in that area are hard wired to a switch. The switch re-routes the calls to long distance locations, local calling area or to other cell locations. If 2-1-1 is decentralized, not statewide, the geographic area covered by the switch is most likely different than the geographic area served by the call center. The calls coming to the 2-1-1 center may be from other areas that another 2-1-1 covers. Usually, switches stay within state boundaries, but this is problematic in boarder areas.


Wireless Switched Service

2-1-1 call tocell phone

Company ‘A’

Cell tower for Company ‘A’ is pre-programmed to send all calls to cell company ‘A’ switch

Cell Company ‘A’ Switch that services all

of its towers in a geographic

region in 15 counties.

Switch programs all calls to 2-1-1 to go to 2-1-1 center. The switch will send all calls from all towers. 2-1-1 center will have to pay for programming the switch to send all 2-1-1 calls.

Telephone land lines: Switch sends the call to either a seven digit number or a 10 digit number where they do not pay the toll

2-1-1 Center receives call from company ‘A’ switch with-in geographic area.


Tower or Digital Cellular

Cell phone companies are willing to program each tower in a designated geographic area to ‘point to’ a seven digit local number or an 8YY number. For 2-1-1 centers that are not statewide, this is a different solution. However, it is very costly. There are many cell towers in communities, and each cell phone company would have to program their own towers. With a medium greater metropolitan area with four cell companies, there could be 100 towers with 4 cellular companies @ $180 (costs range from $50 - $180 per tower) or approximately $72,000.


Wireless Tower Service

Tower 2 Company A

2-1-1 Call Center B

Tower 1 Company A

Tower 3 Company A

Tower 4Company A

Tower 1 and tower 2 are programmed to send all

2-1-1 calls to 2-1-1 Center ‘A’

Tower 3 and tower 4 are programmed to send all

2-1-1 calls to 2-1-1 Center ‘B’

2-1-1 Call Center A


CPUC on Wireless

Quotes taken from CPUC Ruling:

‘Unlike the payphone situation, there is no FCC mandate for eliminating this use of 2-1-1 by wireless carriers at this time, and the Scoping Memo limited the scope of this proceeding to wireline carriers.’

The Workshop Report recommends that the Commission “proceed toward implementation of 2‑1-1 by wireline carriers for I&R purposes, to conform with the federal mandate that 2-1-1 is reserved for I&R service provision.”


Other uses of 2-1-1

Payphone refunds or service

Airport courtesy phones

Internal 3-digit extensions in businesses

Service technicians

Cell customers checking number of minutes left on pre-paid plans

Other commercial uses?


Call Center Technology

Assessment of current and future utilization and capacity– Lines (voice, fax, TTY, data)– Phones, headsets– Computers, server, network– I&R software, TTY software, voice mail– ACD and IVR– Reporting Capabilities


System Building

Service delivery options (sharing client data and resource data)

24/7 service and economies of scale

“Specialists”

Disaster response


Useful Websites

www.211.org www.cpuc.ca.gov www.nanpa.com www.fcc.gov www.telcodata.us tsp.ncs.gov www.utexas.edu/research/tipi/reports_f.htm www.capayphoneassn.org www.dgs.ca.gov/default.htm


Questions?

Marianne Galleon2-1-1 Technical DirectorINFO LINE of Los Angeles

E-Mail: [email protected]: (626) 350-2842 ext 2122

Documents

Telecommunications and Technology Primer