What is SMS/800?

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The 800 Service Management System (SMS/800) is a US based Operations Support System (OSS) that performs toll free (800, 877, 888 and 866) number management. Service providers (e.g. Qwest, Verizon) that assign toll free numbers for use within the US and Canada use the SMS/800 to verify the availability of toll free number numbers, reserve them, establish routing records for customers, and download records to local exchange carrier Service Control Points (SCPs) to facilitate call processing. Who is SMS/800? SMS/800 (Functions Tariff F.C.C. No. 1) is administered by the following Bell Operating Companies (BOCs): • AT&T (was BellSouth Telecommunications Inc./SBC Communications Inc.) • Qwest Corporation • Verizon Communications Inc. These BOCs jointly hold the tariff (a legal agreement mandated by the FCC) stipulating conditions for Resp Org access to SMS/800 services and are responsible for the SCP contracts as well. The listed companies are part of the SMS/800 Management Team (SMT) the SMT is comprised of one member from each of the BOCs. The SMT is responsible for the overall management of SMS/800. The SMT is the final authority on all matters related to the SMS/800. SMS/800 was originally developed by Bell Communications Research, Inc. (who are now known as Telecordia Technologies). Who pays to keep SMS/800 running? Resp Orgs that use SMS/800 pay various fees to support SMS/800 administration and maintenance. These fees include monthly recurring charges, per request charges and nonrecurring charges. An example of a monthly recurring fee a Resp Org like AT&T, Verizon, or Qwest must pay 15.3 cents per month for every toll free that they actively route. This may not seem like much, but with approximately 23 million toll free numbers in service, Resp Orgs are paying over 42 Million dollars per year (in monthly fees) to support the SMS/800 Infrastructure. What is the technical Architecture of SMS/800? SMS/800 runs on an IBM Information Management System (IMS) interactive computer system. It supports IBM 3270 terminal on line access, web based on line access, and batch processing and a Mechanized Interface. Separate production, disaster recovery, and test servers exist. Production sites include Unisys data centers in Eagan, MN and Salt Lake City, UT. SMS/800 is available 24x7 except for planned downtime windows. What is the Next Generation SMS/800? The industry is currently evaluating the deployment of a new SMS/800 system built with modern hardware/software technology (Web Services Interface, UNIX O/S, Client/Server, etc.) Potential hardware architecture features Sun Servers, EMC Storage, and Cisco switches. In addition to updating the infrastructure, different cost models and pricing structures are being evaluated. Originally scheduled for deployment in January 2006, a new schedule is still pending for deployment

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