The world of telecommunications and telephone numbering systems is a realm filled with specialized terms and acronyms that can often be overwhelming to understand.
To help demystify this complex landscape, we’ve assembled a comprehensive glossary of terms directly related to area codes. From the foundational concepts to the intricate details, this glossary aims to provide clarity on the terminology used in the realm of area codes, telephone numbering plans, and related telecommunications fields.
- ABEC (Alternate Billing Entity Code)
- ACNA (Access Customer Name Abbreviation)
- AOCN (Administrative Operating Company Number. The term “AOCN” also refers to the company that updates rating and routing information associated with central office code assignments.)
- ANI (Automatic Number Identification)
- ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
- ATIS (Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (www.atis.org))
- BIRRDS (Business Integrated Routing and Rating System)
- CIC (Carrier Identification Code)
- CIGRR (Common Interest Group on Rating and Routing)
- CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carrier)
- CLLI™ (COMMON LANGUAGE® Location Identification)
- CLONES™ (Central Location ON-line Entry System)
- CO (Central Office)
- COCAG (Central Office Code Assignment Guidelines)
- EN (Emergency Notification)
- ERC (Easily recognizable (area) code)
- FCC (Federal Communications Commission)
- FG A,B,C,D (Feature Group A, B, C, D)
- FNPA (Foreign NPA)
- FRN (FCC Registration Number)
- HNPA (Home NPA)
- ILEC (Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier)
- INC (Industry Numbering Committee)
- IPD (Initial Planning Document)
- IXC (Interexchange Carrier)
- LATA (Local Access and Transport Area)
- LEC (Local Exchange Carrier)
- LIDB (Line Information Data Base)
- LNP (Local Number Portability)
- LRN (Location Routing Number)
- MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area)
- MTE (Months to Exhaust)
- MTSO (Mobile Telephone Switching Office)
- NANC (North American Numbering Council)
- NANP (North American Numbering Plan)
- NANPA (North American Numbering Plan Administrator)
- NARUC (National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissions)
- NAS (NANP Administration System)
- NASC (Number Administration Service Center (Toll-Free 800/866/877/888 database))
- NGIIF (Next Generation Interconnection Interoperability Forum)
- NOWG (Number Oversight Working Group, a subgroup of the NANC)
- NPA (Numbering Plan Area (Area Code))
- NPAC (Number Portability Administration Center)
- NRO (Number Resource Optimization)
- NRRIC (Network Rating and Routing Information Committee)
- NRUF (Numbering Resource Utilization Forecast)
- NXX (The format of an NPA code or a central office code (N=2-9, X=0-9))
- OBF (Ordering and Billing Forum)
- OCN (Operating Company Number)
- PA (Pooling Administrator)
- PCS (Personal Communications Service)
- PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point)
- PSC (Public Service Commission)
- PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network)
- PUC (Public Utilities Commission)
- RA (Rate Area)
- RC (Rate Center)
- RCC (Rate Center Consolidation)
- SAC (Service Access Code)
- SP (Service Provider)
- STP (Signaling Transfer Point)
- TN (Telephone Number)
- TPM™ (Terminating Point Master)
- TRA (Telecom Routing Administration)
- V&H (Vertical & Horizontal (Coordinates))
- VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
- VSC (Vertical Service Code)
Whether you’re a professional in the industry or simply curious about the intricacies of area codes, this glossary is designed to be a valuable resource for enhancing your understanding and navigating the terminology with confidence.