In
telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...
s, interconnection is the physical linking of a
carrier's
network
Network, networking and networked may refer to:
Science and technology
* Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects
* Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks
Mathematics ...
with equipment or facilities not belonging to that network. The term may refer to a connection between a carrier's facilities and the equipment belonging to its customer, or to a connection between two or more carriers.
In
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
regulatory
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
, interconnection is specifically defined (47
C.F.R. 51.5) as "the linking of two or more networks for the mutual exchange of traffic."
One of the primary tools used by regulators to introduce competition in telecommunications markets has been to impose interconnection requirements on dominant carriers.
History
United States
Under the
Bell System monopoly (post
Communications Act of 1934), the Bell System owned the phones and did not allow interconnection, either of separate phones (or other
terminal equipment In telecommunication, the term terminal equipment has the following meanings:
* Communications equipment at either end of a communications link, used to permit the stations involved to accomplish the mission for which the link was established.
* I ...
) or of other networks; a popular saying was "Ma Bell has you by the calls".
This began to change in the landmark case
Hush-A-Phone v. United States 956 which allowed some non-Bell owned equipment to be connected to the network, and was followed by a number of other cases, regulatory decisions, and legislation that led to the transformation of the American
long distance telephone
A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...
industry from a
monopoly
A monopoly (from Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situation where a speci ...
to a competitive business.
This further changed in
FCC
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdictio ...
's ''
Carterfone
The Carterfone is a device invented by Thomas Carter. It manually connects a two-way radio system to the telephone system, allowing someone on the radio to talk to someone on the phone. This makes it a direct predecessor to today's autopatch. ...
'' decision in 1968, which required the Bell System companies to permit interconnection by radio-telephone operators.
Today the standard electrical connector for interconnection in the US, and much of the world, is the
registered jack
A registered jack (RJ) is a standardized telecommunication network interface for connecting voice and data equipment to a service provided by a local exchange carrier or long distance carrier. Registration interfaces were first defined in the ...
family of standards, especially
RJ11
A registered jack (RJ) is a standardized telecommunication network interface for connecting voice and data equipment to a service provided by a local exchange carrier or long distance carrier. Registration interfaces were first defined in th ...
. This was introduced by the Bell System in the 1970s, following a 1976 FCC order. Since then, it has gained popularity worldwide, and is
a de facto international standard.
Europe
Outside of the U.S., Interconnection or "Interconnect regimes" also take into account the associated commercial arrangements. As an example of the use of commercial arrangements, the focus by the EU has been on "encouraging" incumbents to offer bundles of network features that will enable competitors to provide services that compete directly with the incumbent. Further the interconnect regime decided upon by the regulator has a major impact on the development/rate of growth of market segments. According to Source8 (an EU based consultancy) two examples from the UK of this are:
* The decision about revenue sharing on local rate numbers was a contributory factor in the explosive growth in dial internet.
* The asynchronous reciprocity that exists between fixed and mobile termination rates.
See also
*
Customer-premises equipment
In telecommunications, a customer-premises equipment or customer-provided equipment (CPE) is any terminal and associated equipment located at a subscriber's premises and connected with a carrier's telecommunication circuit at the demarcation po ...
*
Demarcation point
In telephony, the demarcation point is the point at which the public switched telephone network ends and connects with the customer's on-premises wiring. It is the dividing line which determines who is responsible for installation and maint ...
*
Forced-access regulation
In the context of infrastructure, open access involves physical infrastructure such as railways and physical telecommunications network plants being made available to clients other than owners, for a fee.
For example, private railways within a st ...
*
Registered jack
A registered jack (RJ) is a standardized telecommunication network interface for connecting voice and data equipment to a service provided by a local exchange carrier or long distance carrier. Registration interfaces were first defined in the ...
*
Terminal equipment In telecommunication, the term terminal equipment has the following meanings:
* Communications equipment at either end of a communications link, used to permit the stations involved to accomplish the mission for which the link was established.
* I ...
*
Termination rates
The termination rate is one of the three components in the cost of providing telephone service, and the one subject to the most variation.
On every long-distance call in the United States, the customer pays for:
* Origination (dial tone service) ...
US regulation
*
:United States federal communications legislation
References
Telecom Antitrust Handbook by American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law, section "Example: Telephone Network Interconnection"
p. 381382
{{Telecommunications
Network architecture
Telecommunications law