CSF Corporation

Here, available for download is CSF’s Summer 2011 version of “The 8MS Advisor”.  This customer newsletter is being sent to all 8MS customers, and special members of the toll free industry that are either RespOrgs, or carriers involved with toll free services.   The purpose of “The 8MS Advisor” is to provide an update on CSF’s 8MS toll free number management, provisioning, and route optimization system for our customers, and to provide updates on our company and the industry.

In this edition of “The 8MS Advisor” we discuss:

• What’s New at CSF
• Bi-Annual Customer Meeting Process – Update
• SMS/800 Templates
• Upcoming Events
• Toll Free Industry Update
• 8MS Carrier Express Updates

We plan to produce between two and four newsletters per year, and we will archive each on our web site (www.csfcorp.com) for future reference.  Please let us know what you think, and what subjects you would like to see in future editions. Also, we have significantly enhanced the 8MS Interface to support SMS/800 SCP templates and have added additional capabilities including our Carrier Express “Direct to Carrier” provisioning interface – please call us it you would like to hear more about these enhancements and schedule a complimentary training review.

Download CSF’s Newsletter-Summer 2011 8MS Advisor (PDF)

The 800 Service Management System (SMS/800) is a US based Operations Support System (OSS) that performs toll-free (800, 855, 866, 877 and 888) 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 10.5 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 28 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 via 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 24×7 except for planned downtime windows.

Below is  CSF’s September version of “The 8MS Advisor”.  This customer newsletter is being sent to all 8MS customers, and special members of the toll free industry that are either RespOrgs, or carriers involved with toll free services.   The purpose of “The 8MS Advisor” is to provide an update on CSF’s 8MS toll free number management, provisioning, and route optimization system for our customers, and to provide updates on our company and the industry.

In this edition of “The 8MS Advisor” we discuss:

·         What’s New at CSF – Our Re-branding Effort and New Customer Support Processes
·         Quarterly Customer Support Review Calls- New Process for 8MS Customers
·         What’s Hot in Toll Free- The Upcoming 855 Code Opening and CSF’s www.855Reserve.com
·         Discuss 8MS Platform Availability and Provide a Release Update
·         List Upcoming Events- Comptel Plus Trade Show in Dallas, and Channel Partners in DC
·         Provide 8MS Training Tips- Two Ways To Enter Numbers Into 8MS

We plan to produce between two and four newsletters per year. Please let us know what you think, and what subjects you would like to see in future editions.

Download the September version of the 8MS Advisor Newsletter

855 Toll Free Number Availability

855 toll free numbers will be made available to the public in late 2010. The tentative date for release is 10/01/10.

The existing toll free number pool of  NPA’s 800, 866, 877, and 888 are nearly exhausted (per SMS/800). The current estimate for the exhaust date is 12/25/10.

Various techniques for the 855 release are still being reviewed and must be approved by the FCC. Techniques being discussed include percentage allocation of 855 numbers per RespOrg (based on the amount of active toll free numbers on the RespOrg), staggered openings (with limited 855 exchanges being opened per week), etc. We are actively participating in these industry discussions to make sure that we are fully prepared for the 855 release.

csf Corporation Can Help You Get 855 Toll Free Numbers

We have been in business for over 20 years, and we are the leading provider of SMS/800 interface products to the telecommunications industry. We help  telecommunications carriers, CLECs, cable companies, and RespOrg’s large and small to acquire and manage toll free numbers. We also have helped hundreds of end users acquire toll free numbers with our 800forall.com site. Large or small – we ethically and fairly level the playing field to help our clients acquire the toll free numbers they need.

Best Technology

We are currently enhancing our 8MS and 800forall.com software product in anticipation of the 855 code opening. We are also expanding our industry leading 8MS software suite to help our clients acquire new 855 numbers. This proven technology was used 10 years ago during the 866 code opening – working with us offers you the best chance to acquire 855 toll free numbers.

For more information – contact us today

If you are interested in acquiring 855 toll free numbers, simply call us today at 732-356-6999 or fill out the Contact form that can be found on the top menu of this page. We will work with you to help you understand the 855 release process, and keep you up to date on the latest FCC developments.

We will continue to provide updates on the 855 toll free number release here on our blog. Please check back frequently for more information, or use the RSS subscription feature so that you don’t miss any vital updates.

SMS/800 RespOrgs

Responsible Organizations access the national SMS/800 database to reserve toll free numbers for their customer and to route the numbers on the appropriate long distance carriers.

Most RespOrgs are telephone carriers or companies. Other companies that apply for RespOrg status are enhanced voice mail providers, VoIP carriers, call tracking and marketing analytics firms, or vanity number firms. Keep in mind that any company or organization that can demonstrate the required skills and financial responsibility can apply to be a Resp Org.

There is a special classification of RespOrgs called Independent RespOrgs. These are firms that manage toll free numbers for a set of clients – some of these clients may themselves be RespOrgs, and and some may be companies in the telephony industry who are not RespOrg’s themselves.

Becoming a RespOrg is a relatively easy process. As it states on the SMS/800 website you must:

(more…)

The following proposal is being sent to the FCC by the industry.  It is not in place yet, but the recommendation will probably be accepted by the FCC soon.

“ATIS SNAC urges the Commission to instead limit toll free reservations by any one Resp Org to one-half of one percent (0.5%) of that Resp Org’s numbers in Working Status for the previous week, or 500 numbers, whichever is greater.  This Toll Free Number Conservation Plan should remain in place until the release of the 855 SAC.”

We don’t have any more information than this at this time. More to come!

Today our help desk started getting calls about SMS/800 updates that were showing as stuck in the Sending state.

We did a little research and checked with the SMS/800 help desk. The Canadian Service Control Point, BX01 has a small queue going.

Records in 8MS may show up with the green SCP status icon next to them -like this – in the Activity Log or CAD Management.

Clicking the SCP status icon call tell you which SCP(s) are not responding yet.
(more…)

Did you know that every week SMS/800 releases a Number Administration Summary Report, reporting on used and unused toll free numbers? For the week ending Saturday, April 17, 2010, they show a total of 4,180,559 numbers remaining in the spare pool. The quantity of numbers in use increased by 6,925.

They also perform an analysis to attempt to predict an exhaust date. In detail they have reported:

(more…)

Occasionally a record will get stuck in the Sending state if one or more SCPs fails to load the record. Usually an unsolicited message will be sent from SMS within 1-2 hours indicating this. A list of SCPs that have failed to load the record is provided with this unsolicited message; this list can be seen via the Activity Log screen in the detail (bottom) frame.

A problem like this is normally beyond the control of 8MS. You should call the SMS Help Desk to report this and SMS support will investigate the problem.