CLLI code
Encyclopedia
CLLI code is an identifier used within the North America
n telecommunications industry to specify the location and type of a piece of telecommunications equipment or of a relevant location such as an international border or manhole location. Originally, they were used by Bell Telephone
companies, but since all other telecommunications carriers needed to interconnect with the dominant Bell companies, CLLI code adoption eventually became universal. CLLI codes are now maintained and issued by Telcordia, which claims trademarks on the names "Common Language" and "CLLI".
CLLI codes are useful to telephone companies for ordering phone service, for rating of call detail records (and hence billing), and to assist in tracing calls. CLLI codes are associated with Vertical and Horizontal coordinates (frequently abbreviated to "V and H coordinates"), which were developed by AT&T
researcher Jay K. Donald to provide a relatively simple method of calculating distance between two network locations. Various mileage-sensitive services are priced according to the V and H coordinates associated with the two endpoints' CLLI codes.
There are three formats for CLLI codes, but the most commonly used is the Network Entity format, an eleven-character format used to describe the location of network equipment. A CLLI code is composed of four sub-fields:
Each of the fields is defined fairly precisely, but there is room for interpretation and there are therefore some possibilities for confusion as shown in the examples below:
This code shows two characteristics:
PTLDOR12DS0
Some telephone companies named their central offices, but did not reflect this name in the CLLI code, as in the above example with a numeric location code.
PTLEORTEDS0
The item to note in the above example is that Portland is usually abbreviated as "PTLD", but because of the relatively small number of possible combinations available in the two-character location code, the city abbreviation must occasionally be modified for locations added later, usually by incrementing the fourth character in the code.
DLLSTXRNDS1
Note that this location is actually in Richardson, Texas
, not Dallas. Apparently, the organizational structure of Southwestern Bell Telephone
at the time considered Richardson to be within its own Dallas organization, although the cities themselves have always been legally separate.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n telecommunications industry to specify the location and type of a piece of telecommunications equipment or of a relevant location such as an international border or manhole location. Originally, they were used by Bell Telephone
Bell Telephone
Bell Telephone may refer to:* Bell Telephone Company, several telephone companies with similar names* Bell Telephone Building , various* The Bell Telephone Hour, a long-running radio and television concert program...
companies, but since all other telecommunications carriers needed to interconnect with the dominant Bell companies, CLLI code adoption eventually became universal. CLLI codes are now maintained and issued by Telcordia, which claims trademarks on the names "Common Language" and "CLLI".
CLLI codes are useful to telephone companies for ordering phone service, for rating of call detail records (and hence billing), and to assist in tracing calls. CLLI codes are associated with Vertical and Horizontal coordinates (frequently abbreviated to "V and H coordinates"), which were developed by AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
researcher Jay K. Donald to provide a relatively simple method of calculating distance between two network locations. Various mileage-sensitive services are priced according to the V and H coordinates associated with the two endpoints' CLLI codes.
There are three formats for CLLI codes, but the most commonly used is the Network Entity format, an eleven-character format used to describe the location of network equipment. A CLLI code is composed of four sub-fields:
- Four characters to denote the city (formally called the Geographical code),
- Two characters to denote the state or province (the Geopolitical code),
- Two characters to denote the specific location or building address (the Network-Site code), and
- Three characters to specify a particular piece of equipment (the Network Entity code).
Each of the fields is defined fairly precisely, but there is room for interpretation and there are therefore some possibilities for confusion as shown in the examples below:
Examples
HSTNTXMOCG0- HSTN = HoustonHouston, TexasHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
- TX = TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
- MO = The AT&TAT&TAT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
telephone exchangeTelephone exchangeIn the field of telecommunications, a telephone exchange or telephone switch is a system of electronic components that connects telephone calls...
office at 4068 Bellaire Boulevard in West University Place, TexasWest University Place, TexasWest University Place, often called West University or West U for short, is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and southwestern Harris County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the population of the city was 14,211...
-- the office is known as the "Mohawk office" - CG0 = The first (or perhaps only) analogAnalog signalAn analog or analogue signal is any continuous signal for which the time varying feature of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e., analogous to another time varying signal. It differs from a digital signal in terms of small fluctuations in the signal which are...
telephone switch at that location
This code shows two characteristics:
- Telephone companies often give names to their central offices. The names frequently relate to the name given to the exchanges served from that office in the days of two-letter, five-number dialing, where a telephone numberTelephone numberA telephone number or phone number is a sequence of digits used to call from one telephone line to another in a public switched telephone network. When telephone numbers were invented, they were short — as few as one, two or three digits — and were given orally to a switchboard operator...
might have been referred to as "MOhawk 3-1234". See telephone exchange namesTelephone exchange namesDuring the early years of telephone service, communities that required more than 10,000 telephone numbers, whether dial service was available or not, utilized exchange names to distinguish identical numerics for different customers....
for more information. - The Geographical code field does not always align exactly with the city location. West University Place is an enclave of Houston, Texas.
PTLDOR12DS0
- PTLD = PortlandPortland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
- OR = OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
- 12 = The QwestQwestQwest Communications International, Inc. was a large United States telecommunications carrier. Qwest provided local service in 14 western U.S. states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.On April...
"Atlantic office" at 2911 NE 24th Ave - DS0 = The first (and perhaps only) digitalDigitalA digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
telephone switch at that location
Some telephone companies named their central offices, but did not reflect this name in the CLLI code, as in the above example with a numeric location code.
PTLEORTEDS0
- PTLE = Portland
- OR = Oregon
- TE = A specific address: 6038 NE 78th Court
- DS0 = The first (and perhaps only) digital telephone switch at that location
The item to note in the above example is that Portland is usually abbreviated as "PTLD", but because of the relatively small number of possible combinations available in the two-character location code, the city abbreviation must occasionally be modified for locations added later, usually by incrementing the fourth character in the code.
DLLSTXRNDS1
- DLLS = DallasDallas, TexasDallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
- TX = Texas
- RN = The Richardson office
- DS1 = The second digital telephone switch at that location
Note that this location is actually in Richardson, Texas
Richardson, Texas
Richardson is a city in Dallas and Collin Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 99,223. In 2011 the population was estimated to be 107,684. Richardson is an affluent inner suburb of Dallas and home of the Telecom Corridor with a high...
, not Dallas. Apparently, the organizational structure of Southwestern Bell Telephone
Southwestern Bell
Southwestern Bell Telephone Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T. It does business as AT&T Southwest and other d/b/a names in its operating region.The company is currently headquartered in Dallas, Texas at One AT&T Plaza.-History:...
at the time considered Richardson to be within its own Dallas organization, although the cities themselves have always been legally separate.