Network Access

To place calls via the Tuxtel network, the network must be accessed in the first place. A number of network access methods exist; some of which require BT lines, and some of which do not.

If the existing lines in your organisation are from a telephone company other than BT, it may still be possible to access the Tuxtel network directly providing that Tuxtel has an interconnect agreement with that particular telephone company. If no interconnect agreement exists, then it may still be possible to access the Tuxtel network using one of a variety of other methods, which are detailed in this section.

For companies with BT lines, all network access methods are available, as BT is historically the incumbent telephone operator for the UK, owning the majority of the network infrastructure through which most of the countries' telephone traffic passes.

In summary, the methods available for accessing the Tuxtel network are:

• Dial-through Access - An access telephone number is dialled to access the Tuxtel network, and the user is authenticated by their CallerID and/or PIN number
• Carrier Preselect (CPS) - The incumbent operator is instructed to pass outbound calls via the Tuxtel network, without any number prefixes
• Indirect Access (IDA) - A short access code is prefixed to each number dialled - this routes the call via the Tuxtel network. Telephone systems can be programmed to transparently prefix every outbound call with the access code. Again, the user is authenticated by their CallerID and/or PIN number
• Direct Access - The customer has a direct data connection to Tuxtel, either over the Internet via broadband, or via a point-to-point leased-line