Wholesale: Products & Services

Directory Assistance (DA) Service - V23.0

Product Description

CenturyLink™ offers you several Directory Assistance (DA) products that assist your end-users with obtaining local, intraLATA (Local Access and Transport Area), national published and non-listed listing information.

The listing information is comprised of the name, telephone number and/or address and ZIP code. CenturyLink offers searches by name, telephone number (reverse DA) and business type within a given locality. Please note: Business type searches within a given locality is NOT available in the states of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

DA provides this information to your end-users on your behalf when the end-user dials 411, 1-411, 1-Numbering Plan Area (NPA)-555-1212, or as determined by your selected dialing pattern. CenturyLink will accept a maximum of two listing requests per call to Local or National Directory Assistance (NDA) from your end-user.

CenturyLink provides access to DA service via dedicated Operator Service (OS) trunks.

DA services include:

• Local DA service
• NDA service

Local DA Service

Local DA service is a voice information service provided by CenturyLink that allows your end-users to receive published and non-listed listing information within the caller's NPA or LATA geographic area, whichever is greater, in Legacy Qwest's 14-State local service territory. This service is available with CenturyLink Branding, Generic Call Branding, Customized Call Branding, Promotional Customized Call Branding, and DA Call Completion (DACC), also referred to as Complete-A-Call.

CenturyLink's Local DA databases only contain published and non-listed telephone numbers obtained by:

• CenturyLink (from our own end-users)
• You (CLECs)
• Other telecommunications carriers

NDA Service

NDA allows your end-users to receive listings outside of Legacy Qwest's 14-state local service territory.

Availability

DA service is available throughout Legacy Qwest's 14-state local service territory.

Terms and Conditions

CenturyLink will perform DA services in accordance with operating methods, practices and standards in effect for all end-users. CenturyLink will respond to your end-user calls to CenturyLink DA services using the same call handling priority used to respond to CenturyLink end-user calls. Calls to CenturyLink DA services are handled on a first come, first serve basis.

Resale and Commercial, Finished Service, Local Exchange Services Products, e.g. CenturyLink™ Local Service Platform (CLSP™)

With these services you will automatically receive CenturyLink Local DA and NDA service.

Facility-Based CLECs with their own Switch

Facility-Based CLECs with their own switch must subscribe to CenturyLink Local DA service to subscribe to NDA service.

Facility-Based CLECs with their own switch must deliver their DA traffic to CenturyLink's DA/OS switch over their own or leased trunks and transport facilities. Such facilities may be interconnected to the CenturyLink DA/OS switch or platform at one of two technically feasible points on the trunk side of the platform. The first connection point is at the CenturyLink DA/OS host switch. The second connection point is at a remote CenturyLink DA/OS switch.

DA Service for Special Needs End-Users

CenturyLink considers the relationship between you and your end-users a private and confidential matter. CenturyLink will provide DA service to you per your Agreement and will charge you for that service.

Pricing

Rate Structure

DA Call Usage

Billable DA calls appear monthly based on usage.

DACC Local and IntraLATA Usage

DACC charges may apply for calls completed locally and within a LATA on a monthly basis.

IntraLATA DACC calls are completed on the CenturyLink network. QC intraLATA toll charges will apply.

Branding

No charges apply for customized and promotional customized call branding.

Rates

Wholesale rates for this product or service, including tariff references and any applicable discounts, are provided in your current Interconnection, Resale, Commercial, or other governing agreement.

Tariffs, Regulations and Policy

Click here for state specific Tariff/Catalogs/Price List information.

Optional Features

DA Call Branding

"Call Branding" means announcing CenturyLink's name, your name, your name with promotional message (front end only), or a generic name on the front end and/or back end of the DA calls. You have the option of choosing what type of branding announcement you wish to have recorded and played at the beginning and/or end of your end-user's calls to CenturyLink DA.

Front End Call Branding announces CenturyLink's name, your company's name, your company's name with a brief promotional message, or a generic name at the beginning of the call.

Back End Call Branding announces CenturyLink's name, your company's name or a generic name at the conclusion of the call.

Four types of DA Call Branding are available. Calls may be branded with CenturyLink's brand, generic call branding, customized call branding, or promotional customized call branding as follows

• CenturyLink Branding - announces CenturyLink's name
• Generic Call Branding - announces no name (e.g., Directory Assistance (front end) and Thank you for using your local telephone company (back end))
• Customized Call Branding - announces your name (e.g., ABC Telephone Company - Directory Assistance (front end) and Thank you for using ABC Telephone Company (back end))
• Promotional Customized Call Branding - announces your name (e.g., ABC Telephone Company) and a brief promotional message. Promotional messages must include your company name, be factual, and are limited to promotion of existing telecommunication related products and services. Recording content is subject to approval by CenturyLink. Promotional Customized Call Branding is only available at the beginning of the call (Front End Call Branding).

DACC Service

DACC service allows your end-users to connect to the requested local or intraLATA telephone number directly, using the QC intraLATA toll network, without having to dial another number. This is only offered with local and intraLATA telephone numbers and not with NDA numbers.

Reverse DA Service

Reverse DA service allows your end-users to obtain the name and address related to a listed telephone number. Depending upon the type of telephone number listing, your end-users may not be able to obtain the name and address due to restrictions, e.g., toll-free, non-publish, some cell/mobile listings, pagers, coin phones, second lines, etc. For non-listed telephone numbers, the address is restricted and only the name will be provided.

DA Search by Business Type

DA search by business type allows your end-users to obtain the name of a business(s) within a given locality by requesting a specific business type/category/classification, e.g., your end-user may access DA and request the name of a Dry Cleaner in the Denver area. Listings for the type of business requested will be randomly selected within the locality requested.

Features/Benefits

Features	Benefits
End-user support 24 hours a day, 365 days per year	Ensures reliable service and support
Operators/Agents that are dedicated and highly skilled to serve as customer advocates	Provides end-users with professional, courteous, and accurate information and services
90% of all DA calls will be answered within 10 seconds	Provides a fast, but personal response to end-users inquiries
Front and Back End branding	Reinforces your relationship with your end-user
Promotional Customized Call Branding	Direct Product Marketing Opportunity
Leading edge Systems and Technology	Network connections that ensure survivability and uninterrupted traffic flow

Product Prerequisites

Review the following matrix for the DA prerequisites:

If you are a:	And are new	Or are existing	And want to	View	Then complete and submit
Reseller	X		Do business with CenturyLink	Getting Started as a Reseller	The Customer Questionnaire for Resale. If you want branding or to indicate your special needs customers, also complete the Directory Assistance section of the Customer Questionnaire for Resale.
Reseller		X	Change your branding options or make changes for your special needs customers		The Directory Assistance section of the Customer Questionnaire for Resale
Commercial local exchange services CLEC without their own Switch	X		Do business with CenturyLink	Getting Started as a Facility-Based CLEC. The Master Services Agreement for CenturyLink™ Local Services Platform (CLSP™) products.	The Customer Questionnaire for Facility-Based CLECs. If you want branding or to indicate your special needs customers, also complete the Directory Assistance section of the Customer Questionnaire for Facility-Based CLECs.
Commercial local exchange services CLEC without their own Switch		X	Change your branding options or make changes for your special needs customers		The Directory Assistance section of the Customer Questionnaire for Facility-Based CLECs
Facility-based CLEC with their own Switch	X		Do business with CenturyLink	Getting Started as a Facility-Based CLEC.	The Customer Questionnaire for Facility-Based CLECs. If you wish to subscribe to CenturyLink's DA you must complete an Operator Services/Directory Assistance Questionnaire for Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLEC) and Independent Local Exchange Carriers (ILEC).
Facility-based CLEC with their own Switch		X	CenturyLink DA service for the first time or need to make changes to your current DA service		The Operator Services/Directory Assistance Questionnaire for Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLEC) and Independent Local Exchange Carriers (ILEC).

If you have questions regarding completion of the questionnaire(s), contact your CenturyLink Service Manager. You also need to negotiate an Interconnection Agreement with CenturyLink for each state in which you wish to do business. Your CenturyLink Sales Executive can provide you more information regarding these agreements.

Pre-Ordering

Before ordering DA service from CenturyLink, you should do the following:

Resale and Commercial, Finished Service, Local Exchange Services Products, e.g. CLSP without their own Switch: Pre-Ordering and Ordering activities are not necessary as these end-users automatically have access to both DA and NDA service.

Facility-Based CLECs with their own Switch:

Must provide dedicated Operator Services (OS) trunk group that provides Automatic Number Identification (ANI) to the CenturyLink DA facilities in each LATA. The facilities may be interconnected to the CenturyLink DA/OS switch or platform at one of two technically feasible points on the trunk side of the platform. The first connection point is at the CenturyLink DA/OS host switch. The second connection point is at a remote CenturyLink DA/OS switch. The purpose of this dedicated trunk is to deliver your DA traffic to CenturyLink and have the ability to setup a brand message.

In addition, you must have a state specific OCN (Operating Company Number) in order to associate you with your dedicated trunk group. Refer to Local Interconnect Service (LIS) for additional information.

Ordering

Facility-Based CLECs with their own Switch - only:

Once the Product Prerequisites and Pre-Ordering tasks have been completed, the CenturyLink Service Manager will work with you to begin the Implementation process.

Additions, Deletions, or Changes to Existing Services

Resale and Commercial, Finished Service, Local Exchange Services Products, e.g. CenturyLink™ Local Service Platform (CLSP™) without their own Switch:

• If you are an existing Reseller and want to change your branding options or make changes for your special needs customers, you need to only complete the Directory Assistance section of the Customer Questionnaire for Resale and submit it.
  
  
• If you are an existing CLEC and want to change your branding options or make changes for your special needs customers, you need to only complete the Directory Assistance section of the Customer Questionnaire for Facility-Based CLECs and submit it.

Facility-Based CLECs with their own Switch

If you are an existing Facility-Based CLEC and want to add new services, delete or change existing services, you must complete the Operator Services/Directory Assistance Questionnaire for Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLEC) and Independent Local Exchange Carriers (ILEC) and submit it.

Complete Discontinuance of DA for Facility-Based CLECs with their own Switch

If you are a Facility-Based CLEC with out their own Switch and choose to completely discontinue your DA with CenturyLink, download Operator Services/Directory Assistance Services Disconnect Request form and submit it.

Provisioning and Installation

Resale and Commercial Local Exchange Services CLECs without their own Switch:

When your end-user accesses CenturyLink’s DA, the calls will be transported to CenturyLink’s DA/OS switch via shared use of CenturyLink operator trunks.  Your calls will be branded with the same brand message as calls made by CenturyLink retail end-users unless you make arrangements for generic call branding or customized call branding with or without a promotional message.

There are two options to obtain call branding:

• Customized routing and dedicated transport may be used for purposes of providing branding. Customized routing provides you with the ability to route your end-user's DA traffic over dedicated trunks and transport it to the CenturyLink DA platform. Such trunks may then be identified so that your brand announcement can be played on your end-user's calls to CenturyLink's DA. Customized routing and dedicated transport are available in Legacy Qwest's 14-state local service territory. For complete terms and conditions for customized routing, refer to Customized Routing.
• Your Operating Company Number (OCN), Service Provider Identification (SPID) or Origination Line Number Screening (OLNS) may be provided to access CenturyLink's DA via CenturyLink's shared trunks. You will need to provide CenturyLink with your authorized and nationally recognized OCN from Telcordia's™ Local Exchange Routing Guide (LERG). You should use the same OCN/SPID in all of CenturyLink’s14-states. CenturyLink will program its DA platform and related databases to recognize your OCN/SPID for purposes of playing your call brand announcement on your end-user’s calls to CenturyLink’s DA.

DACC, will automatically be provided, where available. To block DACC, you must enter appropriate values in the Blocking Activity (BA) field and the BLOCK field of the Resale Services (RS) Form of your Local Service Request (LSR). For additional information regarding blocking DACC, refer to Complete-A-Call. Refer to the Resale Services (RS) LSOG 6 Form Preparation Guide for additional information regarding the RS Form.

Facility-Based CLECs with their own Switch

If you use your own switch and provide or lease transport facilities to deliver your end-user's DA calls to CenturyLink's DA/OS switch, your calls can be branded with CenturyLink's brand, generic call branding or customized call branding with or without a promotional message. The default call branding message will vary depending upon the state in which your end-user has service. Branding details are outlined above and also will be addressed during implementation.

Facility-Based CLECs with their own switch that want DACC must indicate this on the OS/DA Questionnaire. In addition, for CLECs located in the states of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, a separate trunk must be provisioned to the DACC remote in the state or states in which they reside. The CLEC's Service Manager can assist the CLEC with the implementation of DACC in these states.

You should provide your individual state OCN for each state in which you do business with CenturyLink as a Facility-Based Provider on the Operator Services/Directory Assistance Questionnaire for Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLEC) and Independent Local Exchange Carriers (ILEC).

Customized and Generic Branding Testing

CenturyLink will perform acceptance testing on customized, promotional customized, and generic Call Branding with you, at no additional charge, to insure the branding is operational.

CenturyLink will, at your request, schedule a mutually agreeable time to perform acceptance testing in cooperation with you. If you are unable to participate in the acceptance testing or if you request that branding installation be completed without your presence, the service will be considered accepted (i.e., blind acceptance) by you.

CenturyLink branding implementation personnel will conduct preliminary testing. Testing includes the following steps:

1. The CenturyLink Service Manager will inform you that the customized, promotional customized, or generic call branding has been loaded and an acceptance test may be scheduled with you and the CenturyLink Service Manager.
2. The CenturyLink Service Manager will contact the CenturyLink Branding Implementation Manager with the agreed upon date of the test. The CenturyLink Branding Implementation Manager will notify CenturyLink branding technical personnel.
3. You, the CenturyLink Branding Implementation Manager, and branding technical personnel will place test DA calls. You may make up to two calls per test situation.
4. If the front end and back end call branding meets your satisfaction, the test is completed.
5. If you reject the test, the CenturyLink Branding Implementation Manager and branding technical personnel will take action to correct the situation.
6. If you reject the test results, CenturyLink Branding Implementation Manager and branding technical personnel will identify the problem. The Branding Implementation Manager will notify the CenturyLink Service Manager within two business days of the expected date of resolution.
7. The CenturyLink Branding Implementation Manager will inform the CenturyLink Service Manager when the problem has been resolved.
8. The CenturyLink Service Manager will advise you that the problem has been resolved and set up a time for acceptance testing.
9. The CenturyLink Service Manager will advise the CenturyLink Branding Implementation Manager of the acceptance test schedule. The CenturyLink Branding Implementation Manger will notify CenturyLink branding technical personnel.
10. Repeat steps beginning with Step 3 above.

Trunk provisioning and facility ownership must follow CenturyLink guidelines and will be addressed during implementation.

Maintenance and Repair

If you encounter problems with the service, contact your CenturyLink Service Manager.

Billing

Resale and Commercial Local Exchange Services CLECs without their own Switch

These accounts are billed monthly for the number of calls placed to CenturyLink DA, including DACC and intraLATA toll, if applicable, by your end-users, from the Customer Records and Information System (CRIS) billing system.

CRIS billing is described in Billing Information - Customer Records and Information System (CRIS).

Facility-Based CLECs with their own Switch

Facility-Based CLECs with their own Switch are billed monthly for the number of calls placed to CenturyLink DA, including DACC if applicable, by your end-users on a separate invoice from the Local Exchange Carrier Information System (LEXCIS).

LEXCIS billing is described in Billing Information - Local Exchange Carrier Information System (LEXCIS).

Training

Local CenturyLink 101 "Doing Business With CenturyLink"

• This introductory web-based training course is designed to teach the Local CLEC and Local Reseller how to do business with CenturyLink. It will provide a general overview of products and services, CenturyLink billing and support systems, processes for submitting service requests, reports, and web resource access information. Click here for Course detail and registration information.

View additional CenturyLink courses in the Course Catalog.

Contacts

CenturyLink contact information is located in Wholesale Customer Contacts.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Which OCN will I use for Resale to get the correct branding?
You need to use the National Resale OCN as provided by National Exchange Carrier Association (NECA)

2. I don't have a National OCN so how do I obtain one?
Go to: http://www.neca.org/source/NECA_Home.asp.

3. What do I do if I don't want DACC offered to my end-users?

Resale and Commercial Local Exchange Services CLECs without their own Switch

You must enter appropriate values in the Blocking Activity (BA) field and the BLOCK field of the Resale Services (RS) Form of your Local Service Request (LSR). For additional information regarding blocking DACC, refer to Complete-A-Call. Refer to the Resale Services (RS) LSOG 6 Form Preparation Guide for additional information regarding the RS Form.

Facility-Based CLEC with their own Switch

You should indicate "No DACC" on the appropriate Operator Services/Directory Assistance Questionnaire for Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLEC) and Independent Local Exchange Carriers (ILEC)

Last Update: August 8, 2011

Telcordia™ is a trademark of Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
LERG™ is a trademark of Telcordia Technologies, Inc
CenturyLink™ Local Services Platform (CLSP™) is aTrademark of CenturyLink™