1. What are the purposes of telephone network signaling functions?

- Signaling functions supply and interpret control and supervisory signals needed to perform the operation.
2. What are the two types of subscribers to the public telephone network?
- public and private
- Subscribers to the private sector are customers who lease equipment, transmission media (facilities), and
services from telephone companies on a permanent basis.
- Subscribers to the public sector of the PTN share equipment and facilities that are available to all the public
subscribers to the network.
3. What is the difference between dedicated and switched facilities?

4. Describe the term service provider.

- The public telephone companies
5. Briefly describe the following terms: instruments, local loops, trunk circuits, and exchanges.
- Instruments - any device used to originate and terminate calls and to transmit and receive signals into and
out of the telephone network.
- Local loops - the dedicated cable facility used to connect an instrument at a subscriber’s station to the
closest telephone office.
- Trunk circuits - similar to local loop except trunk circuits are used to interconnect two telephone offices.
- Exchanges - a central location where subscribers are interconnected, either temporarily or on permanent
basis.
6. What is a local telephone exchange?
- Exchanges connected directly to local loops.
7. What is an automated central office switch?
- A system of sensors, switches, and other electrical and electronic devices that allows subscribers to give
instructions directly to the switch without having to go through an operator.
8. Briefly describe the following terms: circuits, circuit switches, and circuit switching.
- Circuits - Simply the path over which voice, data, or video signals propagate.
- Circuit switches - A programmable matrix that allows circuits to be connected to one another.
- Circuit switching - Switching process where the switches are capable of interconnecting any circuit
connected to it to any other circuit connected to it.
9. What is the difference between a local telephone exchange and an exchange area?
- Telephone exchanges are strategically placed around a city to minimize the distance between a subscriber’s
location and the exchange and also to optimize the number of stations connected to any one exchange.
- Exchanges connected directly to local loops are appropriately called local exchanges.
10. Briefly describe interoffice trunks, tandem trunks, and tandem switches.
- Interoffice trunks - Telephone switching machines in local exchanges are connected to other local exchange
office.
- Tandem trunks - Trunk circuits that terminates in tandem switches.
- Tandem switches - Switches that interconnect local offices only.
11. Briefly describe toll-connecting trunks, intertoll trunks, and toll offices.
- Toll-connecting trunks - When a subscriber initiates a long-distance call, the local exchange connects the
caller to a toll office through a facility.
- Intertoll trunks - Toll offices are connected to other toll offices with intertoll trunks.
- Toll offices - Interstate long distance telephone calls require a special telephone office.
12. Briefly describe the North American Telephone Numbering Plan.
- Provides telephone numbering system for the United States, Mexico and Canada.
13. What is the difference between an area code, a prefix, and an extension?
- Area code – North America is now divided into numbering plan areas (NPAs) with each NPA assigned a
unique three-digit number called an area code.
 - Prefix – Each NPA is further subdivided into smaller service areas each with its own three-digit number
called an exchange code (or prefix).
- Extension – Each subscriber to a central office prefix is assigned a four-digit extension number.
14. What is meant by the term common usage?
- A
15. What does blocking mean? When does it occur?
- A call that call cannot be completed because the necessary trunk circuits or switching paths are not
available, the calling party receives an equipment busy signal.
16. Briefly describe the predivestiure North American Telephone Switching Hierarchy.
- Telephone company switching plans include a switching hierarchy that allows a certain degree of route
selection when establishing a telephone call.
17. Briefly describe the five classes of predivestiure North American Telephone Switching Hierarchy.
- Class 5 End Office - A local exchange where subscriber loops terminated and received dial tone.
- Class 4 toll center
o Class 4P Switching Office - Class 4 office having only outward and inward calling service.
o Class 4C - Class 4 office provided human operators for both outward and inward calling service.
- Class 3 Primary Center - Switching office that provide service to small groups of class 4 offices within a small
area of a state.
- Class 2 Sectional center - Sectional centers that could provide service to geographical regions varying in size
from part of a state to all of several states.
- Class 1 Regional Center - Regional centers were the highest-ranking office in the DDD network in terms of
the size of the geographical are served and the trunking options available.
18. What is meant by the term switching route?
- A path between two subscribers and is comprised of one or more switches, two local loops; and possibly one
or more trunk circuits.
19. What is meant by the term progressive switching scheme?
- The five-class switching hierarchy is a progressive switching scheme that establishes an end-to-end route
mainly through trial and error.
20. What is SS7?
- An architecture for performing out of band signaling in support of common telephone system functions.
21. What is common channel signaling?
- Refers to the exchange of information between call components required to provide and maintain service.
22. What is meant by the term local number portability?
-