Stored Program Controlled Network: Calling Card Service-overall description and operational characteristics

Conventionally, operator assistance is required for most nonsent paid telephone calls (calls that are billed to a number other than the calling number). Examples of these calls include collect, credit card, and bill-to-third-number. These three types of calls currently represent about two-thirds of all operator-handled toll calls. To reduce the need for operator assistance, a new service, Calling Card Service, enables customers to make credit card calls by dialing in the billing information without the assistance of an operator; it also provides an alternative to operator-assisted collect and bill-to-third-number calls. This new capability is made possible through changes in the Traffic Service Position System (TSPS) No. 1, and uses the Stored Program Controlled (SPC) Network. By providing customers with an alternative to operator assistance, Calling Card Service is helping the Bell Operating Companies (BOCS) and independent telephone companies stabilize operator work force requirements. This paper gives a basic description of Calling Card Service and the customer interface. It also describes the implementation in TSPS, and other areas of the SPC network, and discusses some of the effects on telephone company operations.