Computer Telephony Integration is a set of technologies for integrating and managing computers and telephone systems. CTI functionality falls into two general categories: CTI enables the computer user to control their telephone system CTI enables the telephone system to display information via the computer A user with a CTI-enabled computer will be able to dial the telephone, answer the telephone, and hang-up the telephone, all from their computers. Call Telephony Integration enables users to dial the phone from address books stored on their computer. Most CTI systems also enable the Read More

A “Milliwatt (102 Type) Test Line” is a signal generated from an end office which provides a 1004 Hz tone at 0 dBm0 for one-way transmission measurements towards the customer’s location from the Access Service Provider end office. Milliwatt test tones are often found at NPA-NXX-0010. Numbers which have been reported to us as milliwatt test lines include: (206)345-0020 (425)226-0020 (670)234-0102 (781)382-5555 (800)485-9076 (877)250-0600 (909)390-0002 (914)372-9988 If you know of a functioning milliwatt test line, please add it in the comments.

PCS (Personal Communications Service) is a set of standards. Most PCS standards are based on an existing standard. PCS is little more than the operation of these standards on the frequency bands of 1930-1990MHz for receiving and 1850-1910Mhz for transmitting. PCS StandardBase Standard PCS TDMA IS-136 PCS CDMA IS-95 PCS 1900 GSM PACS PHS cordless DCT-U DECT cordless Composite CDMA/TDMA n/a PCS Network Operators Sprint PCS operates a PCS network in the United States. Additional Reading on PCS For more information on PCS, read Personal Communications Service (PCS) by the Read More

An IMEI, or International Mobile Equipment Identity, number is a number associated with a specific cell phone and can be used by authorities in a wide variety of countries to blacklist stolen cell phones, making them unusable to the thief, even if he/she replaces the phone’s SIM card. An IMEI number should not be confused with an IMSI, or International Mobile Subscriber Identity, number which is used to identify a subscriber. An IMEI is printed on the inside of the user’s cell phone and does not have any connection with Read More

The NAM (Number Assignment Module) is the EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) in a mobile telephone which holds information such as the MIN (or MDN) and SIDH.  The data fields stored in a phone’s NAM vary between the various mobile telephone specifications, such as AMPS/NAMPS, GSM, PCS, CMDA.  In modern networks, NAMs can be reprogrammed Over-The-Air (OTA). Dual and Multi-NAM Phones Some mobile handsets are equipped with NAM’s which can hold multiple telephone numbers.  This enables the phone to have multiple telephone numbers from one carrier or telephone numbers from Read More

Many wireless providers across the globe, including AT&T/Cingular, T-Mobile, Vodafone, and Verizon sell Blackberries. When these companies sell a BlackBerry, they do so at a discount in order to attract customers. The providers then make up the lost profits over the lifetime of their contract with the customer. To protect those profits, the wireless providers configure a “subsidy lock” into each BlackBerry. The subsidy lock prevents the BlackBerry from being used on another provider’s network. BlackBerry Unlocking There are four known methods for removing the subsidy code and unlocking the Read More

ATA is the acronym for Analog Telephony Adapter (Analog Telephone Adapter). It acts as a hardware interface between aPSTN analog phone system and a VoIP service or digital network. ATAs are commonly used to connect or merge a PSTN phone system and VoIP services to a phone network in a business or other organization. An ATA will normally be contained in a small switchbox that has an Ethernet port, power adapter, and one or many telephone ports with an FXO link. This lets users plug one or many analog telephones Read More

As technology has improved over the past few decades, cell phones have only gotten better and better.Though most people do not stop to consider the idea, it is still an amazing feat even today that what was once only an idea presented in movies and novels, has now become our number one modern-day communication device. Many people have even disconnected their landline telephones and replaced them with cell phones. With the ability to make phone calls, send and receive text messages and pictures, and even access the Internet, cell phones Read More

An automated dialer is a piece of software which is designed to dial the telephone automatically. Automated dialers store names and telephone numbers and enable to you easily contact people without remembering phone numbers. Most automated dialers will retrieve contact information from other databases, such as your Microsoft Outlook Contacts list. Some automated dialers will also dial a telephone number at regular intervals until a person answers the phone. When the person answers the telephone, the automated dialer will sound an alarm to let you know that the called party Read More

An ANAC number is a telephone number that plays back the number of the telephone that called it. ANAC numbers are convenient if you want to know the telephone number of a pair of wires. ANAC stands for Automatic Number Announcement Circuit. What is the ANAC number for my area? To find your ANAC number, look up your NPA (Area Code) and try the number listed for it. If that fails, try 1 plus the number listed for it. If that fails, try the common numbers like 311, 958 and Read More