Telecom For Dummies
Chapter 1: A Buyer’s Scoop on Telecom
- Understanding how CLECs got a piece of the pie
- Getting dedicated locally
Chapter 2: Making (And Living with) Telecom Decisions
- Old phone systems don’t die; they just get resold
- Test-driving a hybrid
Chapter 3: Getting Around the Telecom Neighborhood
- Remembering what Stevie Mnemonic says about inter versus intra
- A phone number by ANI other name . . .
- Playing the international dialing trivia game
Chapter 4: Understanding Dedicated Service Requirements
- Making sure your new CSU can be looped before you buy
- Getting tips and reminders from the pros
Chapter 5: Meeting Toll-Free Service, the Red-Headed Stepchild of Telecom
- Discovering toll-free numbers in their natural habitat: The SMS database
- This isn’t your daddy’s 800 number
- Understanding the origins of pay phone surcharges
Chapter 6: Getting the Non-Accountant’s Guide to Your Phone Bill
- Telecom two-digit rounding may not be mathematical rounding
- Why tiered rates have become popular so fast (if you care)
- Understanding why cross talk causes strange billing
Chapter 7: Ordering Regular Phone Lines and New Long-Distance Service
- Getting local versions of long-distance companies
- Understanding your long-distance options
Chapter 8: Ordering Dedicated Service
- A note if you already have ISDN service
- Understanding the complexities of type 2 (and type 3) circuits
Chapter 9: Ordering Toll-Free Service
- Dealing delicately with RespOrg departments
- Understanding the migration process
- A matter of routing
- What DNIS actually looks like
- Understanding trunk group level features
Chapter 10: Activating Your Dedicated Circuit and Toll-Free Numbers
- Working the diplomacy angle to resolve handshaking issues
- Welcome to your own private Bermuda Triangle: IMB
- Asking for installation trouble resolution timelines
Chapter 11: Maintaining Your Telecom Services
- Using good troubleshooting etiquette
- Keeping the switched network in mind when you have a problem on a dedicated circuit
- Keeping an open mind to the information
- Understanding the translating and routing of calls
- A day in the life of a fiber cut
Chapter 12: Troubleshooting Switched Network Issues
- How dial-around codes work
- Keeping your local carrier from passing the buck
- Using 10-10 codes for international issues
- Understanding inbound routing
Chapter 13: Troubleshooting Your Dedicated Circuits
- Beware the misdiagnosed problem
- Got a headache? Then you must have a bouncing circuit
- Remembering the first rule of troubleshooting
- Avoiding permanent IMB status
- Understanding your trouble ticket options
- Dealing with synch issues caused by Dialogic cards
- Getting the scoop on loops
Chapter 14: Transferring Data, Not Just Voice Content
- Researching MPLS on the Web
Chapter 15: Riding the Internet Wave: VoIP
- Reading in the Ethereal world
- Don’t go rogue on me
- Capacity concerns are based on concurrent calls
- Getting more information on VoIP protocols
Appendix: Making a Loopback Plug
- Finding online resources