Stored Program Controlled Network: Calling Card Service - Overall Description and Operational Characteristics

Telephone customers in the United States today may choose from a number of billing options. In addition to sent paid calls (calls for which the calling number is billed), several nonsent paid alternatives 1655 exist. These include collect, credit card, and bill-to-third-number calls. Each of these billing operations requires operator assistance. The widespread and efficient provision of these billing options has been made possible by the extensive use in the Bell System of the Traffic Service Position System (TSPS),1,2 a stored program system first introduced for service in 1969 and now providing service to over 90 percent of the Bell System lines and to almost 6 million independent telephone company lines. In the last decade, the volume of calls requesting these three types of alternate billing has continued to increase. On an average business day, operators handle over 4 million such messages in the Bell System. Requests for these services are expected to continue to grow. Concern about the growing expense of handling these types of calls and the market need to provide customers with an alternative to operator assistance led AT&T to press for the rapid development and widespread introduction of Calling Card Service.3,4,5,6 This service permits a customer with a calling card (telephone credit card) to dial calls, including billing information, entirely without operator assistance. Calling Card Service capability will be available at stations using dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) signaling.