Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP) Practice Test

On analog trunks, what is signaled using multi-frequency tones?

1. Access tandem

2. ANI

3. CAMA

4. Simulcast

The correct answer is: ANI

The use of multi-frequency tones is primarily associated with Automatic Number Identification (ANI) systems, which are crucial in telecommunications. ANI enables the automatic transmission of a caller's telephone number to the receiving party, which is vital for identifying the origin of emergency calls. The tones used in this signaling system provide a means to convey this information reliably and swiftly over analog trunks, ensuring that emergency services can effectively respond to calls and locate the caller. Access tandem refers to the point in the telecommunications network where calls are routed to their final destination, and while it involves signaling, it does not specifically use multi-frequency tones for signaling as a primary function. CAMA (Centralized Automatic Message Accounting) utilizes these multi-frequency tones to implement a different kind of call handling and billing but is more focused on call tracking than on number identification. Simulcast typically deals with the simultaneous broadcasting of a single signal across multiple frequencies and does not involve the signaling aspects associated with caller identification.