LAN

See Local Area Network.

LCR

See Least Cost Routing.

Least Cost Routing (LCR)

Also called Automatic Route Selection (ARS). A way that your phone system automatically chooses the least expensive way of routing a voice or data call. No one phone carrier can offer the cheapest rate on every call you place. Some carriers have great rates for a specific region, but charge a premium on calls outside that region. Some carriers have excellent rates within your country, but charge excessively for international calls. Carriers subsidize their low rates with higher rates for certain types of calls, such as international calls.

With LCR, calls can be directed to different carriers based on the time of day and the destination of the call. LCR can be based upon a periodically updated software table in a PBX (or in the database of an enhanced service) to help choose the cheapest long distance provider at the moment of that the call is initiated, or it may involve using an IP network to bypass long distance services network entirely, whereupon the LCR function becomes one of finding an Internet hop off server that is closest to the call s destination.

LDAP

See Lightweight Directory Access Protocol.

LEC

See Local Exchange Carrier.

LEC Class 5 Office.

Sometimes referred to as a LEC s end office. A Class 5 Office is based on a Class 5 switch and provides customer wireline access via the local loop to long distance providers, based on presubscription (by dialing 1 and...