AT&T has sought the FCC’s permission to discontinue 13 legacy TDM-related services in its Southwest Bell South territory, citing a lack of customer demand and use.
After it gets necessary FCC approvals, AT&T said it will stop offering these service options to customers on or after Feb. 28, 2017.
Specifically, AT&T will discontinue these service options throughout its geographic service areas in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas.
Some of the services AT&T is looking to discontinue include Telegraph Bridging Four-Wire Capability and Voice-grade Active Telemetry & Alarm Bridging Split Band Capability.
Telegraph Bridging Four-Wire Capability offers bridging functions on a telegraph grade circuit that connect three or more customer-designated premises in a multipoint arrangement.
Voice-grade Active Telemetry & Alarm Bridging Split Band Capability is a Telemetry & Alarm bridging network which divides the voice band into two portions, one for each direction of transmission.
Similar to other discontinuances the telco has sought in other markets, AT&T said it is “discontinuing these services because there is no market demand for these service options.”
“AT&T currently has no customers that subscribe to these service options and has not had any requests seeking these service options in the previous two years,” AT&T said in its FCC filing (PDF).
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The service provider has sent copies of its discontinuance application via first class U.S. Mail, to the public utilities commissions and governors of the affected states and territories, and also to the Special Assistant for Telecommunications to the Secretary of Defense.
These services are just one of many AT&T has sought to discontinue in recent years as customers abandoned them in favor of new IP-based service options.
Earlier this year, AT&T asked the FCC for permission discontinue six operator services: collect calling, person-to-person calling, billed to third party, busy line verification, busy line interrupt and international directory assistance.
These discontinuances have become a growing trend in the wireline segment of the telecom industry.
Fellow telco Verizon petitioned the FCC for permission to stop offering postpaid calling card and personal 800 services via its MCI subsidiary, while Sprint asked to discontinue long-distance voice services.