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The called party pays for this call which depends of number of factors like amount of usage, the number experiences, the cost of the trunk lines to the facility and possibly a monthly flat rate service charge. Usually, government services are linked with toll free numbers and also some big companies provide toll free numbers as a support for their customers. You can also get a toll free number for your residence of cell phone.
The called party recovers these charges in the following ways:
• They might charge the customers for providing technical support.
• They can generate sale out of this call.
• There sales might have increased with the inclusion of this toll free service.
Toll free numbers are also referred as 800 Numbers in North America because of their numbering system. One had to dial these numbers after the original area code. Some of the area codes that had to be dialed were code numbers were 800, 888 (since 1995). Code number 877 (since 1997), code number 866 was included in the year 2000. Also, there were other numbers like 855, 844, 833 and 822 which are not yet active but are reserved.
There is a difference in the way we use a normal telephone number and the way we use a toll free number. The general way of writing a telephone number is “+” sign attached with the country code, followed by area code and then the local number, for example: +1 (666) 123-1234. But, when we use a toll free number which are not accessible from other countries, we should eliminate the “+” sign and the round brackets, for example: 1-800-123-1234.
In the United States, the inter-exchange carriers (IXCs) generally handle traffic crossing boundaries known as Local Access and Transport Areas (LATAs). A LATA is physical location within the United States that outlines the boundaries of Local Exchange Carriers (LECs). LECs are capable of providing local transport within LATAs.
When a toll free number is dialed by a customer, a Responsible Organization (RESPORG) is assigned by the IXCs to own and maintain that number. In general, the RESPORG is an IXC who will be responsible for the delivery of the majority of the toll free services. In general, the RESPORG is an IXC who will be responsible for the delivery of the majority of the toll free services.
Looking at it with a more in-dept view, when a toll free number is dialed, every digit is analyzed and processed by the LEC. The call is identified by the service switching point (SSP). The SSP makes it possible to send call information to the signal transfer point (STP). Further, the STP asks the service control point (SCP) about the destination of the call.
It all boils down to the customer's choice which is processed by the LEC and an IXC is assigned. It is possible to share toll free numbers among IXCs. One of the reasons why a customer would do this is for disaster recovery or for bargaining a rate among different carriers. For example, a customer may want to direct 50% of his calls to one carrier and the other 50% to another carrier as per his convenience.
After determining an IXC, the LEC sends the call to the IXC's point of presence (POP). After the receiving the call, the IXC's SCP decides where to pass this call. The SCP is the brain of the long distance network when it comes to routing. The protocol used for this call routing and control is known as Signalling System 7 (SS7).