The main office of the cellular network that holds all the information for matching a customer's mobile number and electronic serial number, and hardware and software for controlling the cell sites.
Used by cellular carriers to route and receive customer calls. May be interconnected to the LEC or directly to an interexchange carrier's (IXC) network.
The local switching function that resides at the wireless or cellular service provider's office, and interconnects the wireless access lines into the pubic switched network.
Also called the switch, the MTSO is the link between the cellular phone and the landline phone system. The MTSO is the "brain" of the cellular system.
See Mobile switching center.
The facility which houses the central computer that connects a cellular phone call to the world landline network or to the rest of the cellular system. The MTSO controls the entire system's operations, including the tracking of calls, billing and call hand-offs from one cell site to the next.
An out-of-fashion synonym for Mobile Switching Center.
The central switch that controls the entire operation of a cellular system. It is a sophisticated computer that monitors all cellular calls, tracks the location of all cellular-equipped vehicles traveling in the system, arranges handoffs, keeps track of billing information, etc.