Glossary

A comprehensive reference of the acronyms and platform-specific terms used across Smart Carrier’s telephony, compliance, and reporting tools.

Telephony & Routing Basics

Term	Definition
VoIP	Voice over IP. Placing and receiving calls over the internet rather than traditional phone lines. Accounts are assigned a Role of VoIP Provider/Carrier or Client.
SIP	Session Initiation Protocol. The signaling protocol used to set up, manage, and tear down calls over IP networks (e.g., SIP trunk, SIP code, SIP headers).
DID	Direct Inward Dial(ing) number. A phone number provisioned and managed within the platform, assignable to prefixes, containers, and routes.
ANI	Automatic Number Identification. The calling party’s phone number as delivered by the carrier network (i.e., Caller ID).
DNIS	Dialed Number Identification Service. The number the caller actually dialed, used to route an inbound call to the correct destination.
CDR	Call Detail Record. A transaction-level log entry for a single call: timestamps, parties, duration, and outcome.
E.164	The international phone number format standard: a `+`, country code, and full number (e.g., `+12125551234`).
TFN	Toll-Free Number.
GUID	Globally Unique Identifier. A unique ID string assigned to a call, session, or API request.
PCAP	Packet capture. A raw network trace of SIP signaling, used for deep troubleshooting.
Tech Prefix	A short digit string prepended to a dialed number to tell an upstream provider which carrier or route to use. Distinct from a Smart Carrier Prefix.

Caller ID Verification (STIR/SHAKEN)

Term	Definition
STIR/SHAKEN	The industry framework carriers use to cryptographically sign and verify caller ID, preventing spoofing.
STI	Secure Telephone Identity, the standard STIR/SHAKEN certificates are issued against.
Attestation	The confidence level a carrier assigns when signing a call. Full (A) vouches for both the caller and the number; Partial (B) vouches for the caller but not the number; Gateway (C) vouches only for where the call entered the carrier’s network.
PASSporT	The signed identity token attached to a call’s SIP Identity header under STIR/SHAKEN. A type of JWT.
JWT	JSON Web Token. The signed token format a PASSporT is built on.

Platform-Specific Terms

Term	Definition
Prefix	An outbound routing/billing container: a rule set that groups and treats outbound calls with shared compliance settings, routing paths, rates, and features. Not to be confused with a Tech Prefix (a dial string) or an NPA/NXX exchange prefix.
Container	An inbound routing container: a rule set that groups inbound DIDs and routes under shared settings (channels, call blocking, destination number formatting). Unrelated to Vicidial’s separate “Container Settings” admin concept referenced in some carrier setup guides.
Callback Container	The Visual Editor’s internal name for a Container node.
Entity	The organizational or client account a container, prefix, or record is associated with.
Role	Whether an account is a VoIP Provider/Carrier (a back-end provider you connect to) or a Client (a customer using your platform).
Channels	The number of simultaneous call legs a prefix or container can carry at once (also called “ports”).
Rate Plan	A rate deck: an uploaded pricing table (NPA/NXX-based) assigned to a prefix to bill a client for their traffic.
Dedicated Repository	A dedicated pool of numbers reserved exclusively for a specific prefix, rather than drawn from a shared pool.
PBR / CBR	Priority Based Routing / Cost Based Routing: the two strategies a prefix can use to select which carrier handles a call.
DNO	Do Not Originate. A list of numbers calls will never be placed from, because they’re flagged as compromised or unauthorized for origination.
404 Datasource	A reference list of numbers known to return a SIP `404 Not Found` response, checked before dialing to avoid wasted attempts.
603 Handling	Flags numbers that return a SIP `603 Decline` response so they’re treated as unreachable going forward.
Designated Schedule	A time window during which a prefix will accept requests; calls received outside it are rejected.
Routes	The IP addresses (and ports/CIDR ranges) allowlisted to send traffic into a prefix or container, effectively a firewall rule.
Visual Editor	A node-based canvas, shared between the Prefixes (outbound) and Containers (inbound) pages, for visually building and connecting carrier routing settings instead of using the standard form-based pages.
AI Numbers (Numbers Management)	The platform’s dynamic local-presence caller ID system, which rotates outbound caller IDs from a managed pool based on ASR health and geographic proximity to the destination.
Call Blocking	The set of inbound rules (attestation level, caller ID frequency, caller ID validity, spam flags) used to reject unwanted calls into a container.
Smart Hub	A number-lookup tool that checks phone numbers against multiple data services (DNC, carrier resolution, disconnected status, DNO) in bulk.
Blacklist	A global, bidirectional number-suppression list: numbers on it are blocked both from receiving calls from you and from calling you.

Dialer & Campaign Terms

Term	Definition
Hopper	The dialer’s active call queue. Leads are inserted into the hopper and dialed according to priority and schedule.
Hopper Priority	The priority weighting that determines how soon a lead in the hopper gets dialed relative to others.
Disposition / Dial Status	The outcome code assigned to a call attempt (e.g., `SALE`, `NA` for No Answer, `AA` for Answering Machine, `DROP`).
Call Cadence	The structured, automated sequence and timing of outbound call attempts made to a lead: how often and when to retry.
AMD	Answering Machine Detection. Automatically identifies voicemail/answering machines before connecting a live call to an agent.
XFER	Transfer. A call handed off from one agent or queue to another.
NOAGENT	A call dropped because no agent was available to take it.
SLA	Service Level Agreement. The compliance threshold a team or campaign is measured against.

Reporting & Call Metrics

Term	Definition
CPS	Calls Per Second. The rate at which new calls are being initiated.
ASR	Answer Seizure Ratio. The percentage of attempted calls that were answered.
ACD	Average Call Duration. The average length of answered calls.
PDD	Post-Dial Delay. The time between dialing and the call being answered or connected.
UTC / EDT	Coordinated Universal Time / Eastern Daylight Time. Timestamp timezones vary by report, so check each report’s own field description.

Compliance & Do Not Call

Term	Definition
DNC	Do Not Call. Checked across three tiers: Federal (the national registry), State, and Internal (your organization’s own suppression list).
TCPA	Telephone Consumer Protection Act. A federal law that limits unwanted calls and texts to consumers.
TSR	Telemarketing Sales Rule. The FTC rule that includes the national Do Not Call registry.
KYC	Know Your Customer. The identity and business verification documents required before opening an account.

Business Verification (KYC Form)

Term	Definition
EIN	A business’s federal tax ID, issued by the IRS.
D-U-N-S Number	A unique business identifier issued by Dun & Bradstreet.
SIC / NAICS	Standard codes that classify what industry a business is in (NAICS is the newer of the two systems).
OCN	Operating Company Number. A 4-digit ID used to identify a telecom carrier.
SAN	An ID used in carrier billing systems; required to enable Federal DNC checking on a prefix.
Form 499 / Filer ID	The FCC filing telecom companies submit to identify themselves; the Filer ID identifies who submitted it.
RMD	Robocall Mitigation Database. The FCC list telecom providers must register on before sending calls.
E911	Enhanced 911. Requires phone providers to be able to report a caller’s physical location on a 911 call.
EULA	End User License Agreement.
AUP	Acceptable Use Policy.
Traceback	The industry process of tracing an illegal robocall back to whoever originated it.

LERG & Number Data

Term	Definition
LERG	Local Exchange Routing Guide. The industry database of how phone number ranges are assigned and routed.
LRN	Location Routing Number. Routes a call to a phone number’s actual current carrier after it has been ported.
NPA	Numbering Plan Area: the area code portion of a phone number.
NXX	The central office exchange code: the three digits following the area code.
CLLI	Common Language Location Identifier. An 11-character code identifying a carrier switch’s location.
LATA	Local Access and Transport Area. A geographic telecom service region.
LEC / CLEC / ILEC	Local Exchange Carrier / Competitive LEC / Incumbent LEC. Categories of company that operate local phone service in a given area.
Rate Center	The geographic billing/routing zone associated with an NPA-NXX exchange.
Prefix Type (line type)	A LERG classification of a phone number’s line type (e.g., Wireline, Wireless, VoIP), unrelated to a Smart Carrier Prefix.

SMS & Messaging

Term	Definition
GSM	The default SMS character-encoding standard. A single message segment fits 160 GSM characters.

API & Technical

Term	Definition
API	Application Programming Interface. Used to integrate directly with Smart Carrier’s services.
JSON	JavaScript Object Notation. The data format Smart Carrier’s APIs use for requests and responses.
CIDR	Classless Inter-Domain Routing. The notation used to specify an IP address range (e.g., `192.0.2.0/24`) when allowlisting routes.
ACL	Access Control List. The firewall rule set you add Smart Carrier’s IPs to so API traffic can reach you.
AGI	Asterisk Gateway Interface. Used in custom Asterisk dial plans to hand call control to an external script.
DTMF	Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency. The touch-tone signaling used for in-call keypad input.
NAT	Network Address Translation. A SIP trunk config setting for calls traversing routers/firewalls.
SSH	Secure Shell. Remote server access, not required for standard Smart Carrier configuration.