Updates + Notifications

 

Telesystem's Metaswitch/Green Platform is certified for GETS as of January 19, 2023.

Janurary 19, 2023

Government Emergency Telecommunications Service, or GETS, is a program of the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Emergency Communications that prioritizes calls over wireline networks. Users receive an access card (GETS card), which has both the universal GETS access number and a Personal Identification Number (PIN).

To get priority access over cellular communications networks, you need to use the Wireless Priority Service (WPS) program. GETS and WPS can be used in combination.

Learn more about GETS and how to qualify here.

 

988 Mental Health Crisis Hotline and 10 Digit Dialing Requirement

June 13, 2022

Effective July 16th, 988, the new 3-digit calling code for the Suicide Prevention Lifeline will go into effect.

This is a reminder for all customers with numbers in an affected area codes that they will be required to dial 10-digits (even for local calling).

Read more about this important change here. 

View additional information from the FCC about the Suicide Prevention Lifeline here

 

10 Digit Dialing and Mental Health Crisis Hotline

September 1, 2021

Important Reminder: In compliance with FCC rules, please note that as of October 24, 2021, all outbound calling will need to utilize a 10 digit phone number (even for local calling).

To prepare for this upcoming change, you can begin dialing this way and reprogramming relevant speed dial keys or directory entries. All PBXs provided by Telesystem already allow calls using the full phone number.

Read more about this important change here.

 

FCC REGULATION NOTICE - STIR/SHAKEN

June 30th, 2021

FCC rules require providers to implement STIR/SHAKEN in the Internet Protocol (IP) portions of their networks by June 30, 2021, so that Americans can benefit from this important technology and start to have faith in their phone calls again.

STIR/SHAKEN is a framework of interconnected standards. STIR/SHAKEN are acronyms for the Secure Telephone Identity Revisited (STIR) and Signature-based Handling of Asserted Information Using toKENs (SHAKEN) standards. This means that calls traveling through interconnected phone networks would have their caller ID "signed" as legitimate by originating carriers and validated by other carriers before reaching consumers. STIR/SHAKEN digitally validates the handoff of phone calls passing through the complex web of networks, allowing the phone company of the consumer receiving the call to verify that a call is in fact from the number displayed on Caller ID.

Read more here: https://www.fcc.gov/call-authentication

Telesystem is fully compliant with FCC regulations on STIR/SHAKEN.

 

FCC REGULATION NOTICE - REQUIRED 10-DIGIT DIALING

March 16th, 2021

In compliance with FCC rules, please note that soon all outbound calling will need to utilize 10 digit phone number (even for local calling). 

To prepare for this upcoming change, you can begin dialing this way and even reprogramming speed dials you have to dial in this manner now. All PBXs provided by Telesystem already allow calls using the full phone number.

This way of dialing is not currently mandatory - stay tuned for more details and a date and read more about this change here.

 

TELESYSTEM'S PLEDGE IN A TIME OF UNCERTAINTY

April 28th, 2020

Valued Customer,

Telesystem understands the importance of keeping your business connected and is devoted to sustaining our committed service level to customers in normal times as well as in crisis. To this end, we are pledging our commitment to mitigate the impact to our customers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Given the current coronavirus pandemic and the challenges many of us will face in the coming months, for any customers that did not have a past due balance as of March 1, 2020, our pledge is as follows:

  • Telesystem will not terminate services for any of our customers because of inability to pay their bills due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Telesystem will waive any late fees that our customers incur due to economic circumstances related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Telesystem will continue to monitor plans to re-open the economy on a state by state basis.  As of the time of this letter, the intention is to keep our pledge through May 31, 2020. 

For any business that carried a past due balance prior to March 1, we strongly encourage you to contact our Account Management team.  We have several options available (including payment deferrals, forbearance, and reduced billing) to help you through this time of uncertainty.

We are committed to the health and safety of our customers, and are hopeful that our pledge will alleviate some of the burden on your business. We wish you the best, and we are in this together.

Thank you,

John E. Martin

President | Telesystem

 

TELESYSTEM'S PLEDGE IN A TIME OF UNCERTAINTY

March 26th, 2020

Valued Customer,

Telesystem understands the importance of keeping your business connected and is devoted to sustaining our committed service level to customers in normal times as well as in crisis. To this end, we are pledging our commitment to mitigate the impact to our customers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Given the current coronavirus pandemic and the challenges many of us will face in the coming months, for any customers that did not have a past due balance as of March 1, 2020, our pledge for the subsequent 60-days is as follows:

  • Telesystem will not terminate services for any of our customers because of inability to pay their bills due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Telesystem will waive any late fees that our customers incur due to economic circumstances related to the coronavirus pandemic.

In this time of uncertainty, we're hopeful that our pledge will alleviate some of the burden on our customers. We wish you the best, and we are in this together.

Thank you,

John E. Martin

President | Telesystem

 

MOVING HOSTED STATIONS

March 24th, 2020

If you need to work remote and take your hosted station home with you, please contact our support team to get some additional information on what you will need in order to make it work from your home.  Please also remember anytime you move your hosted stations from its original location, 911 cannot be called from that phone.  The location sent to 911 in order to respond to the emergency is the original location the hosted station was installed.  If you need to dial 911, you will need to use another device.

 

TELESYSTEM ADDRESSES CORONA VIRUS

March 16th, 2020

Telesystem understands the importance of planning to ensure that we are able to sustain our committed service level to our customers in normal times as well as in crisis.  To this end we are taking the following measures to mitigate the impact to our customers if an unfortunate force majeure event such as a  COVID-19 pandemic were to occur.

  • We are in constant communication with our employees, ensuring that we provide them updated information concerning the spread of the virus as well as feedback available to how to prevent the spread of the disease.  We encourage our employees to wash their hands, clean their desk areas and stay home if they are not feeling well.  Further we are putting a plan in place with our cleaning company to ensure a deep cleaning plan is in place for all of our facilities. 
  • In the event we have to dispatch we are prepared to protect our employees to limit the exposure they would endure should they have to enter a customer location to address any concerns with equipment we have onsite.
  • We are working with any third party vendors to ensure they can and will continue to provide service to us to sustain the level of service we provide our end users
  • We have ensured our inventory levels will sustain any replacement parts needed in case there is a delay in gaining additional inventory
  • We are revisiting our work from home policies to limit the exposure and spread of potential illness

Our BCP (business continuity plan) addresses this type of event and our executives continue to work on a corporate plan, specific to the Covid-19 scenario, this plan will be complete on 3/20/2020.  The measures above have been implemented or are ready to be executed.  Additional measures will be considered as dictated by the state or federal government restrictions on travel and working in common areas.

As more businesses begin to work remotely, please reach out to us if you have a need for mobility functionality such as Unified Communications or Video Conferencing. We are here to keep your business connected and improve productivity in this time of uncertainty. 

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