Here it is straight from the horse's mouth, as it were: =================================
http://www.surveysampling.com/ssi_country.jsp?country_id=TS&page_id=wirelessid&catID=7&subname=preciseh&sub_id=0&archive=0 SSI-WirelessID SSI-WirelessID, another value-added service from Survey Sampling International, reduces sampling risk by identifying potentially wireless telephone numbers in U.S. telephone files. SSI-WirelessID helps researchers - and call centers in particular - reduce their risk of making calls to wireless numbers. This service allows call centers to better comply with legislation that prohibits calls to cellular or wireless numbers using automated dialing equipment. SSI-WirelessID Reduces Risk The legal prohibition in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) against calling wireless numbers using an automatic telephone dialing system and the minimum penalty of $500 per infraction for violations have made it important for researchers to identify wireless telephone numbers prior to dialing. SSI-WirelessID identifies most wireless and potentially wireless telephone numbers, making it easier for researchers to comply with the TCPA legislation. However, a landline telephone number that has been ported or forwarded to a wireless number cannot be identified by any means currently available. SSI continues to search for a ways to gain access to the porting information that resides only in the Number Portability Administration Center, administered by NeuStar, Inc. Wireless Identification Explained Clearly identifiable wireless exchanges have always been excluded from SSI random digit (RDD) and listed sampling frames, and are now eliminated from SSI's LITe samples. The advent of thousand block pooling in the U.S. telephone numbering plan allows the sharing of telephone prefixes among multiple types of phone services and service providers at the thousand block level. A thousand block is the first digit following the prefix in a telephone number. For example, the number (203)255-4200 is in thousand block 4 of prefix 255. The mixing of landline and wireless service in a single prefix has existed for many years, but was limited to a single service provider. These prefixes are referred to as "shared" service prefixes. For pooled prefixes, type of service and service provider information is now available at the thousand block level making it easier to identify potentially wireless telephone numbers. It should be noted that the telephone numbering, assignment, and call routing world is a complex one and for many prefixes information is still lacking below the exchange level, even when a mix of service types exists. This makes it difficult to identify all possible wireless telephone numbers. SSI-WirelessID Gives Quick Results SSI creates and maintains a file of non-POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) 1000-blocks. It includes all wireless and potentially wireless (Cellular, Personal Communications Services {PCS}, Mobile, Paging and Shared) 1000-blocks. This file is updated monthly. SSI can provide service for client-supplied files or provide a subscription service for clients to utilize the file in-house on an unlimited basis. SSI-WirelessID Subscription Service Those clients who wish to clean their files in-house, can opt for the SSI-WirelessID Subscription Service. Subscribers will receive a copy of the SSI-WirelessID database of known and possible wireless thousand blocks within the North American Numbering Plan. This file will be updated monthly. Currently containing almost 440,000 records, the file is 8-bytes in fixed fielded ASCII format. Each record contains an area code, prefix, and thousand block combination along with an alphabetic code - X or M - indicating the nature of the thousand block. In the number 2032554X, 203 is the area code, 255 is the prefix, and 4 is the thousand block. The code X refers to thousand blocks identified as dedicated to wireless use, and the code M refers to thousand blocks possibly assigned for wireless use based on being identified as offering "shared" services. This file can be used in conjunction with client files of telephone numbers to identify the numbers most likely to be wireless. Those numbers identified as falling into an X or M thousand block can be held back from automated dialing software to avoid the risk of violating legal mandates. SSI-WirelessID File Service After the file is passed through SSI-WirelessID, clients will receive a report indicating how many numbers were marked as "bad" and how many numbers are marked as "potentially bad." Using SSI-WirelessID and obtaining our report should provide you with evidence of a "best effort" attempt at complying with TCPA regulations. Input specifications are as follows: Client files must contain contiguous 10-digit phone numbers or 7-digit blocks (area code/exchange/1000-block). Files must be fixed fielded ASCII files. SSI can append a sequence number upon receipt that will ensure delivery in the same sort as the file was received. Clients must define a field position for the match code. SSI offers one-day turnaround for files. SSI's highly competitive prices are based on each file - not individual numbers - reducing your costs. --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
