Glossary of Terms

Understand basic Public Safety definitions and terms.

ESS

Definition:

Electronic Switching System - Computerized switching of telephone calls used by the telephone company.

MTSO

Mobile Telephone Switching Office. Contains a “switch,” a large computer that manages the carrier’s cellular network by controlling the cell sites...

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EO

End Office. The telephone switching center that initiates a 9‐1‐1 call.

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Central Office

A telephone switching center that contains the equipment to provide phone service to users in a particular geographic area. A central office may...

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Hand-off

The process by which the Mobile Telephone Switching Office (MTSO) passes a cellular phone conversation from one radio frequency in one cell to...

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